Cross my Heart
by LadyCommanderKat
Summary: An exiled Olympian with very unstable powers meets the God of Mischief. What could go wrong? AU (notes about the universe and timeline inside) Rated T for now, will probably eventually become M.
1. Chapter I︱ curiosity killed the cat

**_Notes about this alternate universe and generally this story:_**

 _• The story begins right after the end of Thor: Ragnarok and doesn't take into consideration any movie that came out afterwards or the after-credits scene._

 _• The Asgardians are now trying to rebuild their home on earth. More details about this will be given throughout the story._

 _• The story begins on Earth but it will eventually move on to Olympus, which will be the place where many of the scenes in this story will be happening later on. So this will eventually be AU world as well as AU storyline. (Just to clarify, this is not a crossover with "the Olympians" or "Percy Jackson" or anything like that. The world is based on Greek Mythology.)_

 _• Loki is not a monster, but neither he is a saint. I see a lot of opposite opinions about how Loki should behave or not behave. I will write Loki as well as I can personally understand him and even though I don't plan on making him a brute, he is not going to be a cuddling sweetheart either._

 _• There will eventually be smut, but I always write those chapters in a way that if you don't wish to read that part, you don't lose any crucial details of the storyline._

 _• Lastly, I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I know I'm going to be enjoying writing it!_

* * *

 ** _Chapter I_** **︱** **_curiosity killed the cat._**

 _ **Thalia**_

 _ **Anchorage, Alaska**_

Thalia left the coffee shop much later than her shift had ended. Cynthia was sick again today, or so she claimed. She tugged her long winter coat tightly closed and began to walk towards the west side of the city, where the small house she'd bought two years ago when she moved to Alaska was. The cold didn't truly bother her. She could walk around naked if she wished with no danger of getting a frostbite but she mimicked the mortals in the way they dressed for appearances sake.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open, making certain that nothing had disturbed the wards around the house first before she entered. She was always anxious when checking for intruders. Every day for the past ten years she had checked them and every day she found them undisturbed. Still, the fear that her family might have figured out which portal she took when she fled Olympus never withered.

In truth, they might have not even realized she was missing yet. If her calculations were correct, she'd only been away from home for three days, as far as they were concerned. It might be another decade or two in earth years before someone noticed her prolonged absence.

She banished the thoughts about her old life from her mind and looked around her living room for her very apathetic cat. Lady Bas was unsurprisingly laying on her usual spot by the frosty window, barely lifting her head from her crossed paws to acknowledge her mistress's arrival.

She gave the animal a small rub between the ears and shrugged out of her coat before she began scouring through her fridge and cupboards, searching for something to eat that doesn't actually taste like acid.

Food was the biggest challenge for her when it came to living as a human. Pretending to be cold, or sleepy, or even tired was vexing. But not finding anything that even remotely resembles the divine sweetness of her meals in Olympus, genuinely bothered her.

If a normal person saw her eating, they would likely call her crazy; maybe recommend a good doctor. Thus why she took her meals in private. Not many humans coated everything they ate in at least ten layers of crispy fried sugar. Thalia's body craved the sweetness almost as much as her mind craved the magic she had mostly given up since residing on earth.

It used to be torture at first, taking her almost three full years before she could master going around and doing ordinary things without magic for assistance. Making your own coffee might sound like every day business to a mortal, but it wouldn't be if you had the ability to _will_ the coffee to be made for you without lifting a single finger.

Using magic, even for little things, was dangerous however. If her people back at Olympus realized that she ran, they would attempt to track her through her Celestial Magic. So the less she used it, the less likely they were to pick up on her location.

Earth was densely populated and it helped to coat her presence from any locator spells. That was the main reason she choose it over the few other available options she had. And with the Asgardians now also residing not a mile away from her little home, she should've been overwhelmed with joy. Asgardian magic had a very similar signature to her own so with the Asgardians in such close proximity, the chances of her location being pinpointed back to Olympus were significantly lower but there was a price.

Their celestial essence lured her like a mouse being lured by a piece of cheese. Every morning she had to talk herself out of taking a sneak peak of her new neighbours, knowing full well that it would only serve to unsettle her further and even cause her to tap into her powers accidently.

She walked to the window that faced the mountain range behind her house and stared at the tall white peaks. There wasn't much information about the aliens yet, but she knew that their new city was being raised somewhere behind those mountains.

From what Thalia had heard, an American extra-governmental military and intelligence agency was overseeing the construction of New Asgard. The humans may not be born with any powers similar to those of other superior races across the universe but they could mostly understand magic. At least some of them could.

There had been mortals who'd acquired powers in some way, or appear to have powers due to their advanced technology. That very technology is what made her so wary and kept her well away from anyone who might have access to it. She believed that if it came down to it, she could probably take most of them but even so, a fight would attract too much attention. And to battle properly she would have to release so much celestial magic at once that she was certain she would find herself in chains and on her way back to Olympus before it was even over.

The pull was stronger today. Much much much stronger.

The Asgardians must be using magic to help them raise their city because its sweet alluring aroma was by far at its most distinct today. She sighed and strode out of the house, promising herself that she only meant to go as far as where her property ended.

But it was a lie. She knew that there was no stopping until she found the source of the magic from the moment she stepped foot outside the house.

She carefully found her way up the harsh slopes and glanced around for prying eyes occasionally before she took an unnaturally high jump. The closer she got, the faster her legs seem to move, eager to see who was manipulating celestial energy both due to curiosity and longing.

Her eyes widened when she found a spot behind a thick tree and hid there, watching the scene unfolding beyond.

There was magic, alright. Nothing about the city looked natural or human. They appeared to have dug through the mountains, turning caves into operating rooms. Each of them connected to another through marble balconies or gilded bridges. There wasn't an inch of snow anywhere to be seen either, but that was to be expected since the area around them was shielded by a huge transparent half-bubble.

She was so engrossed in observing everything that she almost missed the sound of footsteps on snow behind her.

Thalia abruptly turned and came face to chest with a tall raven-haired man. He stood way too close for comfort making her take an involuntary step back. She couldn't decide if his eyes were blue or green but she could very much tell that they regarded her with evident suspicion. Waves of power were radiating from him. _A god,_ her instincts whispered, as she sensed his mystical aura.

"And who might you be?" the man asked, arching a dark brow.


	2. Chapter II︱ An honest mistake

**_Chapter II_** **︱** **_An honest mistake_**

Thalia studied him, remembering the incident in New York. Recognition came and with it a sudden urge to laugh. She had been well away from the US at the time of course, but coverage of him was still all over the place. The Goddess wished the humans no harm, but she could not grieve them as one of her own. Thus why to her slight shame, the main emotion she felt while watching those videos was amusement at the way he inevitably failed.

She swallowed the laughter he must've seen the amusement in her eyes because he cocked his head and asked, "Something you find funny, human?"

 _Human?_ Thalia frowned. Couldn't he sense her aura as she could sense his?

"Or did I charm you into silence? Is that it?" Loki continued, oblivious that he was talking down to the offspring of two ancient Gods so powerful, they could probably wipe him with a mere thought. She, herself might not have that kind of power yet, being young as she was, but she did possess some of their signature magic. _Magic I cannot afford to use,_ she reminded herself.

 _Human, right._ "My apologies, your..uhm…your greatness?" It came out more like a question, earning her a scowl.

"Are you mocking me? Do you know who I am?"

"I would never," she rushed to say. "Loki, great Prince of Asgard."

He gave her a thoughtful look. "I still think you are mocking me."

 _Then you are smarter than I thought you were,_ she thought but instead said, "It is not every day that you meet a God, especially the son of Odin." She meant it as a praise. From what she knew of Asgardians, Odin was as respected amongst them as her Grandfather was amongst her own people.

Loki however, didn't seem to be flattered by her words. "Why are you spying on us? How did you even get here?" He looked at the area around them and frowned.

Thalia could almost see the wheels turning in his head through the reflection of his sea-green eyes. The chances of a human coming this high up the mountain without any sort of climbing gear were close to non-existent. Awareness of her attire suddenly hit her. She hadn't even taken her coat when she left the house. She could tell the moment he realized that leggings and a short-sleeved tank-top didn't make sense for a human to wear high up the mountains in Alaska because his stance went from relaxed to ready to pounce. To fight or to flee, Thalia didn't know. "What are you?" he asked carefully.

"Human," she lied, since he had already mistaken her for one. "I'm a witch." That was part was a truth. Manipulating magic was manipulating magic, regardless of your species.

Loki didn't even pretend to believe her. "Human witches do not have immunity to cold," he pointed out.

"They do not," she agreed. "I put up a spell. I like the mountains but climbing gear demolishes the fun, and so do five layers of clothing. I casted a durability charm on my body and if you would excuse me now, I can feel it weakening out so I should return home."

Thalia began to walk towards the edge of the slope they were standing on but he closed his arm around her wrist, halting her. "You still didn't tell me why you were spying on us."

"I was not," the Goddess insisted, pulling out of his grip. "I live here." She pointed south. "My house is over there, behind that hill."

He considered her answer and seemed to want to ask her more but a deep voice came from their left, calling, "Loki? Brother, who is this girl? Why have you brought her here? You know they said that you hav–"

"I remember what they said," Loki snapped, shifting his scowl from her to the blonde man approaching. She recognized him too. Thor, God of Thunder. He looked a lot like the men in her father's court. Ares's warriors were the finest amongst all twelve High Courts.

Loki gripped her again, this time by her upper arm. "I didn't bring her here. She was spying on us. She says that she is a witch but look at her, Thor. Even your barbarian brain can recognise that a human could not survive these conditions." His pinned her with a harsh look. "Spell or not."

It took every ounce of Thalia's willpower not hit him with a mystic blast so powerful, he would be seeing the nymphs dancing around him for days. The insolence of it almost made her growl. She was the youngest daughter of Venus. Respected and loved in her mother's court. No one had ever dared manhandle her before.

But she knew that it would do her no good to pick a fight with them, and she was after all intruding in what she assumed was now their territory.

Thalia gathered her voice, letting none of the anger that she felt leak into it. "As I have already told you, _I live here_. I've been coming up this mountain since long before you came around. _I was not spying._ " She had more of her father in her than she did her mother–personality wise at least–but she could still imitate Venus to a small degree, should the need arise. Smiling at the bigger brother sweetly she asked, "Thor, is it? You like humans right? You fought for them? That was so brave of you." She glanced at where Loki's fingers were closed around her arm. "Could you please tell him to unhand me? I'm telling the truth. I can show you my house if you don't believe me." She forced her smile to turn sheepish, shyly lowering her gaze as let him comprehend her innuendo.

Loki heard the invitation in her words before Thor did. "That won't be necessary," he argued. He turned her around towards the direction she had pointed earlier. "Where exactly is your house again? And how does it look like?"

"About a mile that way," she said lifting her chin towards her home. "There are no other houses for about a two mile radius around it. Other than a few small cabins, that is."

A sudden wave of anxiety hit her as Loki turned to his brother and tightened his grip around her arm. "I'll teleport her out of here. She said that it was a spell keeping her safe from the cold and if that's true and it runs out…Well, she'd freeze to death, I suppose. We wouldn't want a human casualty associated to us so soon after they'd taken us in would we?"

Thor didn't seem content with the idea. "Loki–"

"Relax, brother. I won't hurt her. What is it that the humans say," he feigned being thoughtful, "Ah, yes. Cross my heart."

Thor ignored the sarcasm in his brother's tone, nodding. "I know you wouldn't compromise the relationship of the humans with our people," was what he said, but to Thalia it sounded more like: _"Don't you dare compromise the relationship of the humans with our people."_

The God of Thunder left them, disappearing towards the enchanted bubble that swallowed New Asgard. When he was well out of sight, Loki lowered his mouth right next to her ear and whispered, "Thor may have fallen for that feeble attempt at distracting seduction had I allowed you to go through with it, but don't bother ever trying that with me. I _will_ find out what you are little witch, make no mistake of it."

Suddenly the world blurred and when it cleared again, they were standing in her front yard.


	3. Chapter III ︱ Damn it

**_Chapter III_** **︱** **_"Damn it."_**

Loki stared down at her, his frown deepening. "Why couldn't I teleport inside?"

Thalia shrugged. "I don't want uninvited visitors. I'm sure you have a similar spell protecting your personal space."

He gave her an irritated look. "Yes, I got that. What I need to know is what sort of sorcery is this and how come a human can cast a spell so powerful, it can keep a creature like me out."

Another shrug. "Enchanted glyphs," she said vaguely and began walking towards her front door.

Loki followed silently, but she could feel his gaze locked on her.

She reached the door and unlocked it, but glanced at Loki before pushing it open. "You saw my house. As I said, I live here. Here's your proof." She gestured towards the turned key on the door. "You can be on your way now."

The Asgardian didn't even grace her with a reply. Loki only pushed past her, turned the door handle and walked into her house. _I can always kill him and find another realm to hide in,_ she thought with annoyance.

 _"Do come in,"_ Thalia said sarcastically before shutting the door behind her.

He stood in the middle of her living room, glancing around the walls, no wonder looking for signs of the spell. His eyes finally found her and stared with expectance. "No attempts to seduce me then? Or was Thor more your type?"

She might have tried one of Venus's little tricks, if he hadn't already called her out on it. Now it felt…uncomfortable. Thalia chose deflection. "The glyphs are there." She pointed towards a tapestry on the wall behind him.

Loki inspected the symbols, eyes narrowing. "I've seen this before…where?" he mumbled before turning to her. "What language is this?"

"An old one," she replied.

She thought he might actually try to kill her from the glint in his eyes but Loki only strode to the nearest window before pushing it wide open. He opened the window Lady Bas was sleeping by next, startling the poor animal when it was suddenly woken by the cold air leaking inside the house.

Thalia quickly gathered her cat in her arms and cover her with the blanket she uses when watching human tv on the sofa. "Is there a reason you decided to turn my house into a fridge or do you have something against cats?" she asked, tightly hugging Lady Bas to her chest.

"I have something against liars," he said, crossing his arms. "There is a reason, yes. I'm waiting for you to start freezing to death. I will, of course, make sure you don't die–wouldn't want to face Thor after that big of a fuck up–but you did say that your spell was running out so it shouldn't be long now, right?"

Her hand twitched, momentarily shifting into the void and closing around her spear. She thankfully came back to her senses and didn't pull the weapon out but she was quickly running out of patience.

Loki must've caught the slight blur around her hand because he fixed his gaze on it. "What was that?" He searched her face, his features twisting in annoyance.

When she gave no answer, he walked towards her and abruptly placed his open palm on her forehead.

Thalia's control snapped when she felt him attempt to search her mind. Her hand came up, as if it had a will of its own and celestial waves emitted from her fingers as they came into contact with his chest.

Loki flew towards the wall, hitting it with a loud thud before falling unconscious on the floor. Lady Bas jolted out of Thalia's arms, looking for safety under the sofa.

The Goddess glanced at Loki and sighed. "This was your own doing," she informed his motionless body. She considered her options. She'd attacked him, he might look for retaliation when he wakes. But there was also the brother to consider.

She dragged him by the back of his arms to the sofa, laying him comfortable with his head on a cushion before inspecting the damage she had done. His leather armor was burned to nothing where she had blasted him, the visible skin underneath looking properly cooked.

She closed her fingers around the burned leather and tugged, expanding the hole. The wound wasn't all that bad considering his species, she supposed. Thalia took a mental note to remind him of that when he woke. She'd make some paste to speed up his healing as well, and hopefully her assistance would help him forget that it was her who inflicted the wound in the first place.

As she turned to walk away however, she abruptly stilled. For only a tiny second Thalia thought she'd seen his skin shifting to a light shade of blue, but as soon as she blinked it was back to normal.

She shook her head and got on with making the paste. She hadn't had to use the stash of the things she'd "borrowed" when she left Olympus in a while so it took her a minute to remember where in the void she'd put her herbs.

Thalia shut the windows so she didn't lose her pet to the cold before crushing the dried leaves in a wooden bowl along with some oil. The creamy paste didn't have the sweetest of smells but it would enhance the speed of his cells healing around the wound.

After she'd spread it around his skin, she'd placed her hand over it and used her gifts to search for signs of pain. There were some, but it was moderate.

An idea suddenly hit her.

Thalia bit her lip. She'd already accidently used her powers today. Using them again so soon was a considerably high risk. But on the other hand, if he woke and was aggressive, she'd have to use them anyway to contain him.

 _Only for a few minutes,_ she promised herself and touched her hand on his cheek. She closed her eyes and reached for his subconscious. Inside his head, Loki couldn't hurt her so he would be more inclined to listen to her apologies instead of trying to kill her.

When her eyes flicked open there was only darkness. "Loki," Thalia called and searched the blackness for any signs of him.

She heard a grunt behind her and turned to find him glowering at her, one hand placed over his chest while a feint emerald light flickered around him, as if to outline him in the gloom surrounding them. " _You are dead._ Consequences be damned."


	4. Chapter IV︱ A gift?

_**Chapter IV**_ **︱** _ **"**_ _ **A gift?"**_

"Yeah, about that–" Thalia began to say, but didn't have time to finish her sentence since Loki launched for her, fist raised.

She didn't bother trying to dodge his attack and allowed him to reach her, inevitably going right through her since this was only a projection of herself. Loki stumbled as his eyes widened in surprise, almost falling face first to the ground.

"Are you done?" She asked when he stared at her aghast.

"Where are we?" He glanced around them, seeming to finally register their surroundings.

"In your head," Thalia informed him. "You tried to search my mind, remember?"

His scowl returned. "So you thought to return the courtesy by digging into mine?"

"Some of us respect the boundaries of privacy. Look around you. I can see only what you choose to show me." Thalia made a show of searching the darkness around them. "Which is obviously…nothing."

He seemed to relax a little at that, rubbing at his chest. The wound wasn't there but the pain from it very much was, she knew. His eyes were definitely a deep green in this false-world she'd created in his head and Thalia couldn't help but admire their vivid color before she remembered that a second ago, Loki had tried to kill her.

"Look," she began. "I didn't mean to blast you but you did try to force your way into my mind so this is as good an apology as you will ever get for it."

He had the grace to look ashamed, but only for a tiny moment before his gaze hardened again. "If you are indeed human, you are not a very smart one are you?" he asked with a smirk. "Even if you have somehow managed to take me out momentarily, as soon as I wake, you'll be toast."

"I was hoping we could avoid that," Thalia suggested. "I've covered your wound with a paste which will help your natural healing to kick in faster. You'll be as good as new before the hour is out."

"And am I just to forget that you attacked me?"

"You attacked me first," she snapped. "Almost froze my cat to death."

"I did not–"

"Trying to steal my memories is as good as attacking me," Thalia interrupted him. "Now, I can't keep this up for much longer. I want you to promise that you won't try to kill me as soon as you wake up."

Loki gave a disbelieving laugh. "And why would I do that?"

"I will make it up to you. We can come to an arrangement," she suggested. "A trade of sorts."

Loki's grin widened. "The same arrangement you tried to have with Thor? I thought I told you that seduction will not work with me."

If she could redden in this form, she would have. "I-I did not…that's not what I meant." Her uneasiness seemed to please him, his eyes flickering with amusement. "I thought you said that your brother was the barbarian. Surely, you are civilized enough to see that we can solve this without a fight. Ask for something you want and if it is within my abilities, I will grant it. Then we'll be even." That's how many hostilities were resolved in Olympus.

Loki gave her a thoughtful look. "It would help to know what you are to have an idea to the extent of those abilities," he pointed out. "And don't bother claiming that you are human again."

"I am not," Thalia admitted. "But don't get greedy."

Loki considered her offer before slightly nodding his agreement. "I will not try to kill you," he promised but somehow it didn't sound convincing, considering it came out of the mouth of the God known for his lies and mischief.

Thalia accepted his word all the same, not wanting to risk keeping this up for any longer. "You should be waking up soon. In the meanwhile, I'll absorb some of the pain."

She didn't wait to hear his reply, dropping the spell and waking as her true-self.

Thalia cast one last spell and gritted her teeth as she touched his chest and felt his pain flowing through her body before it dwindled to a tingling sensation. She showered and changed into clean clothes while waiting for him to come back to his senses, considering how much she dared concede to him. Loki would not leave her be until he was satisfied with her answers, that much was plain, but giving him the complete truth was out of the question.

Lady Bas finally judged the house safe enough to forfeit her hiding spot under the sofa but not before letting out an aggressive hiss toward Loki's sleeping body.

"I know, right?" Thalia told the animal, who was now rubbing at her feet.

"She doesn't like me very much, does she?" she heard Loki mumble.

Thalia turned to find him with his eyes half-open, trying to push himself to a sitting position. "You are awake, good. Can you walk?"

He gave her a mockingly hurt pout. "Trying to get rid of me so soon? I thought you were going to give me a gift."

"Not a gift! A trade. No greater than the inconvenience I've caused you, which let's be honest, is not all that big." Thalia clarified, annoyed.

"I'll be the judge of that," Loki replied as he stood, appearing to be returning to his full strength. "I smell like a swamp." He touched a finger to the paste on his chest and brought it close to his nose, sniffing.

"If I didn't use it on you, the wound wouldn't heal for hours. You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you? You are the one who fried my chest in the first place!" Loki snapped. "Do you know what really gave you away? It wasn't your lack of clothing or even your unusually powerful magic. It was this." He gestured to her face. "The lack of fear in your eyes when you talk to me. Humans can be brave, it's true, but they know what I am, they know what I can do to them. The fear is always there. But not with you. My best guess is that you don't truly believe that I could harm you. Why is that, witch?"

In truth, Thalia couldn't be certain about the outcome of a real fight between them. She had left Olympus not long after she'd come of age and since she couldn't afford to practice her magic while on earth, controlling it would be a challenge. She couldn't tell him that however so she settled for changing the subject. "I thought you'd be more interested in what I can give you."

"I want to know what you are first," he pressed again, but then glanced toward the door. "I'll settle for a favor today, however." Loki slightly move his hand and the hole on his armor repaired itself after flickering with green magic. He strode to the tapestry on the wall next, pulling it over the glyphs to conceal them.

"A favor?" Thalia asked, confused. There wasn't time for him to clarify what he meant however because her doorbell rang. The sound of it almost made her jump. She'd known that she had one but since no one ever visited her, she'd never heard it ring before.

She hesitantly pulled the door open and was greeted by the image of three Asgardians, all fully clad in silver armor. None of them made a move to walk inside, or even speak however. She glanced at Loki. "Your friends?"

"My babysitters," he said grudgingly. "It seems that I've been gone too long." His expression shifted, mouth curving into a broad smile. "It makes no matter, I'll be back for that gift."

Thalia would have growled at him again that it was no gift, but as soon as he spoke, Loki winked at her and disappeared out the door, pulling it shut behind him.

* * *

 **A/n:** So _what do you guys think so far? I've decided keep the chapters of this one short for the most part unlike my GoT fiction since I feel that it fits this kind of story better. Due to that however, the updates will likely be more frequent. :)_


	5. Chapter V︱ A servant?

**_Chapter V_** **︱** **_"A servant?"_**

The God of Mischief didn't make an appearance for almost a week. Thalia was starting to think that he found something more interesting than the mystery of the species of an insignificant witch. It was too much to hope.

"What are you doing here?" she heard a voice coming from behind her as she was taking an order from an elderly couple.

She turned to find Loki looking at her with an expression equal parts disgust and horror. He wasn't wearing his armour today. Instead, he chose a dark suit over a black shirt, which made him stand out amongst the casually dressed few humans who sat at the three occupied tables of the coffee shop.

Thalia gave an apologetic smile to the couple, holding one finger up. Her hand closed around his wrist, forcing him to follow her to the back door of the building.

"I work here," she hissed when they had the privacy of the empty alley. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"You weren't at your house so I looked for traces of your magic around town. You didn't even tell me your name the other day and I have a feeling that going around town and asking for the blonde ill-tempered witch wouldn't have gotten me very far. I passed outside this place three times before I sensed you. Impressive cloaking." His gaze went to her apron. "You serve the humans?" Loki looked genuinely perplexed.

"My name is Tha-Thea. And I don't serve them! I mean, I do but it's not like being a servant." She sighed. "It's a job Loki, what's the big deal?"

"I may not have figured out your species yet but whatever you are, you surely have ways of getting around without having to work for your check."

He had her there. Humans were easy targets for compulsion. In fact, that's how Thalia got around when she first came to earth. Human currency was foreign to her so before she figured out how things worked on this planet, Thalia simply kept to herself and compelled humans to carry out little tasks for her, like letting her take clothes from a store without paying, or giving her their wallet. Those weren't the proudest moments of her existence but at the time, they had seemed like her only options.

"I don't use magic anymore, okay? You forced my hand that day." Loki opened his mouth to say something but Thalia spoke over him. "I need to go back. Please leave before someone recognizes you. I don't want that kind of attention."

He gave a reluctant nod. "When do you leave this place?"

"In two hours," she told him and hurried back inside. At least he was prudent enough to wear the suit and not his Asgardian armour. Not that the elegantly cut suit along with his confident posture didn't draw every eye on him. Thankfully, Thalia had only to deal with curious glances from the other waitresses, instead of awkward questions about her involvement with the person who not too long ago attacked one of their major city, killing dozens in the process.

It should've surprised her when she unlocked her door and found him comfortably settled on her sofa, going through one of her grimoires. But somehow it didn't. His predictability didn't make her any less angry however.

"I don't remember giving you leave to go through my things," Thalia hissed as she snatched the book from his hands.

"I remembered where I've seen the text before," Loki informed her, eyes sparking with triumph. "Odin had treasures from more races than you could imagine. There was a gilded instrument, like a small harp, with some markings drawn on it. Very like the markings in your book and your wall. He called it Hermes's Lyre. Hermes is an Olympian, just as you are. No wonder your magic didn't ring any bells. You kind shut your portals and kept to yourselves for millennia."

Thalia went absolutely still, afraid to even breathe. _Why did I go up that mountain?_ She asked herself for the hundredth time since her meeting with Loki. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"You look terrified," Loki observed. "Why are you terrified?"

She cleared her throat. "So now that you figured out what I am," she cautiously began. "What do you mean to do?"

Loki regarded her with what appeared to be new-found interest. "You really _are_ scared, aren't you?" He paused, looking to consider something before his eyes slightly widened. "You don't use magic because you are hiding from someone. Someone who knows how your magical signature feels like." He didn't even bother to voice it as a question, confident in his conclusion.

He was right, of course.

For the first time in years, Thalia sensed that she was about to panic. "What do you care?" she asked defensively; anxiety born of thoughts of what Ares might do to her if Loki somehow betrayed her location to him leaking into her voice.

The Prince of Asgard did not speak for a few long heartbeats. "How are you supposed to give me that gift that you promised if you can't use magic?" he finally asked, not unkindly. Loki's tone was somehow gentler than she'd ever imagined he could sound.

Thalia didn't see the point of telling him that it was not in fact a gift anymore, having much bigger concerns on her mind. "I have items," she offered. "Not from this world."

"Hmm," Loki didn't seem satisfied with that answer. "But you _can_ properly use magic, yes?"

"For the most part." She didn't see the point of lying to him, he already saw her lose control. "I didn't have much time to practice." Loki gave her a questioning look, urging her to continue. "I'm young," Thalia admitted. "Soon after I came of age and my powers began to fully develop, I pretty much stopped using them."

"Because you think that if you do, then you are going to send a beacon back to Olympus?" Loki asked.

"I don't _think_ , I know," Thalia replied a little harsher than she'd intended to. "Celestial magic is easily detected. The only reason they didn't pick up on my mistake when I blasted you, was probably that your own people were casting powerful spells at the same time."

"Perhaps," Loki allowed. "But there are locations where you can use as much magic as you want without fear that any of your energy will leak into the atmosphere."

Thalia gave him a curious look. "What are you talking about?"

Loki stared into her eyes, mouth curving into a wide smile. " _S.H.I.E.L.D_."


	6. Chapter VI︱ You are a liar

**_Chapter VI_** **︱** **_"You are a liar."_**

"Where are we going?" Thalia asked Loki for the fifth time since he'd announced that she needs to come with him and abruptly teleported them both to the gate of New Asgard.

"I think that's obvious," he replied, not even slowing his pace as he dragged her with him through corridors and outer balconies, looking to be headed toward the far edge of the protective bubble.

Thalia wrenched out of his grip and came to a halt. "No, it's not!"

Loki let out a deep sigh. "We are going to my chambers."

"Why?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

"I want you to meet someone. You'll thank me for this later, trust me." Loki smiled, and it looked so very reassuring.

Thalia knew better. "Trust you? I don't think so. Who am I meeting?"

"Will you just relax? Nothing bad will happen to you. I promise." He made a move to take hold of her wrist again but Thalia shifted away from him.

"I can walk on my own just fine," she told him and gestured for him to lead the way.

Loki complied, resuming their navigation through the otherworldly city.

He finally came to a stop next to the mouth of a cave which was completely closed shut by a heavy metal door. Loki touched a panel on the side and the wall of steel began to move before disappearing downwards into the ground.

"These are your chambers?" She glanced back towards the rest of the city. This place looked to have been purposely built away from every other operating room.

"Yes," he confirmed with his usual grin, but she detected a hint of irritation in his voice. "Come," he ordered and strode inside, Thalia having no choice but to follow close on his heel.

They went through a wide corridor before Loki unlocked another door and waited for her to enter first.

Thalia reluctantly forced her legs forward, not really knowing what to expect.

Regardless of the oddity of its entrance, the chamber looked ordinary enough, she supposed. It was spacious and luxurious for a certainty but if you overlooked its size, it was just a large vaulted room containing an enormous bed and a seating area on one corner. She could spot only one other door beside the one they had entered through, likely leading to a bathroom. There were books though, one wall completely covered with overflowing shelfs filled with them.

"Make yourself comfortable," Loki told her. "I'll be right back."

" _Wait_ ," Thalia exclaimed. "Where are you going?" The idea of her being left alone in a place she was unfamiliar with filled her with disquiet.

"To bring my friend. I have a tv you can entertain yourself with in the meanwhile. You can also read one of my books if you spot one written in a language that you can understand."

She gave a slight nod but there was still uncertainty in her eyes.

Thalia ended up sprawled on Loki's sofa, switching through the channels of the human tv until she came across something that looked interesting enough to distract her. She couldn't know for a certainty how long it took for Loki to finally return but judging from the amount of episodes she'd finished, it must've been hours. It almost surprised her to hear the inner door being pushed open.

Loki greeted her with a pleasant smile on his face, as if he didn't leave her alone for much longer than his "Be right back," had suggested. "Did you travel to another realm and back?" she growled at him before her attention moved to the three others close behind the God of Mischief. She'd only recognized Loki's brother who was regarding her silently, an unreadable expression on his face.

Thalia stood and made to walk towards them but Loki appeared in front of her. "Don't be angry," he pleaded, confusing her even further.

When she heard the click, she understood.

The Goddess glanced down and found her wrists loosely bound together by silvery reinforced shackles. "You can't use magic while you are wearing them," Loki clarified for her. "But, It's not what you think."

What she thought in that moment was that Loki just handed her over to the humans without an ounce of regret. It was with herself she was the most upset with, however. Against her every instinct, Thalia had followed him here. _What did you expect?_ she mused with embarrassment before regarding the humans with as much defiance as she could master in her state.

There was a man and a woman. The former studying her with concealed interest, the latter with caution. The female talked first. "You can go now," her words were directed at Loki.

The Asgardian's displeasure was plain on his face. "I brought her here," he pointed out.

"You tricked me into coming here," Thalia retorted.

The woman's full lips curved into a small smile. "Loki says that you two are friends. You don't look very friendly to me."

"We are not," the Goddess confirmed, shooting the raven-haired liar a look that reflected exactly how friendly she felt with him in that moment.

"My name is Natasha," the human continued, ignoring the tension in the air between Thalia and Loki. "This is Bruce." The man came forward, giving a slight nod. "Loki claims that you are an Olympian, is that true?"

Thalia turned back to Loki, shaking her head in disbelief. For these years she'd put all her effort in staying out of the human's radar and he'd ruined everything in only a few days. "I am," she said grudgingly, then lowered her gaze to her cuffs. "What sort of magic is this?" She felt absolutely empty without her powers. Thalia may have not been using them anymore but she could always sense them buried deep inside her. Now there was only irksome silence.

"Not magic," Natasha corrected her. "Technology." She shifted her gaze to Loki and pointed toward the door. "Leave so we can speak with your friend."

Suddenly, Thalia didn't want to him to go. He may have betrayed her but he was the only one in the room that she was even remotely familiar with. He must've have seen it in her eyes because his expression turned convincingly apologetic before he predictably abandoned her for the second time that day.


	7. Chapter VII︱ Olympians

**_Chapter VII_** **︱** **_Olympians._**

After Loki had disappeared out the door, Natasha suggested that Thalia takes a seat because this was likely to take a while. The humans didn't seem hostile, which both reassured and confused the Goddess since Loki had already tricked her into a false-sense of safety.

"You are trespassing on Earth, Thea." the blond-haired human female said matter-of-factly.

 _Good thing I didn't give Loki my true name,_ Thalia thought bitterly. "There are others out there. Maybe not like me, but not human. I was not aware that there was a process for extraterrestrials to gain citizenship."

Natasha chose to oversee the sarcasm in Thalia's words. "You ask for safe sanctuary on our planet. Your species is foreign to us but if you could come here, then others could follow. The least you could do is assist with our defenses."

"If what you are asking me is to give you the means to eliminate one of my kind, then you are wasting your time. Not everyone in Olympus is equally powerful and trust me when I tell you that you don't have anything or anyone here with the ability to do remotely enough damage to the ones who matter."

The woman smiled. "We know better than to ask that." She unzipped her bag and pulled out a small laptop. When she turned it on and the screen loaded, a page of a report on an educational book regarding Greek Mythology appeared. "All we ask for now is that you help us separate fact from fiction. We will go through some translations of ancient texts and you will confirm or deny their contents. Can you do that?"

Thalia considered it. Not much harm could come from that she supposed. It was information the humans already had. She didn't like the woman's wording however. "For now? Does that mean you will not be releasing me once I help you?"

"We have to be certain that you will not be a threat to our–"

"Listen," Thalia cut in. "Let's start with a little fact that you will not find in your reports." Natasha nodded, urging Thalia to continue. "Most likely, all you have there was written long after the last time one of my race stepped foot on this planet. Back then, the most powerful of us liked to frequently visit earth. Humans looked so very much like our own people but were instead so…fragile. It fascinated some. And when the humans began to worship them…" Thalia sighed. "The point is, Zeus didn't approve how much our kind meddled in this realm's affairs and with him being our King, he ordered everyone back to Olympus and named the crossing of worlds 'treason'. So the chances that one of my people will ever be a problem for you are practically very low."

"You committed treason when you came here then?" The question was from Thor, who had been silently watching the exchange, not taking his one visible eye off Thalia.

"Technically yes, but Zeus is not unreasonable. His wrath is the least of my problems."

"Does that mean you can't go back to Olympus?" This time it was the one called Bruce who talked. Thalia sensed something queer every time she looked at him. Even with her powers suppressed, she could tell that the man was not entirely human.

"No, I cannot." The Goddess paused for a second, searching their faces. "You have given the Asgardians sanctuary. I have never harmed one of your people, or took part in any wars against your kind. What will it take for me to be treated the same way as them?"

"The Asgardians have restrictions," Natasha replied. "But we can start with those reports. I see no reason that you should be imprisoned or that those–" she gestured at Thalia's cuffs. "–should stay on after we are done here, but we would like you to remain in New Asgard for a while."

For as long as they would keep quiet about it, Thalia didn't really care where she stayed. "I can accept that. I have only one condition. You can't tell anyone about me. Other races especially."

"Everything you say to us is confidential. We do not exchange intelligence with other races."

Natasha sounded sincere so Thalia nodded, but then remembered something. "And my cat," she continued.

"Your cat?" the human looked confused.

"I have a cat. Someone needs to go feed her every day or bring her here." Lady Bas may not be the most affectionate of pets, but Thalia had bonded with the animal in more ways that she did with anyone else since she'd chosen to live her life in isolation.

Her concern for the cat seemed to amuse the humans but they complied with her request, promising that someone will fetch her cat and leave her in Thalia's new apartment. Which was right next to this one, well away from the rest of the population of New Asgard.

Some of the texts they showed her were so ridiculous, Thalia couldn't stop the laughter from escaping up her throat. Very few ended up having more truth than legend and there were of course, many Thalia could neither confirm nor deny since they had happened long before she was born.

Natasha did as she promised when they were finished for the day, removing the steel around the Goddess's wrists, but not before informing her than she would be returning tomorrow to go through more reports and Thalia was in under no circumstance to leave New Asgard. "As soon as your room is ready, someone will come to escort you there."

Bruce followed the woman out but Thor lingered.

"Whatever Loki tries to convince you to do, _don't_ do it," the God of Thunder finally said before also leaving.

Thalia laughed. As if she was likely to do Loki any favors after the way he'd played her.

The Asgardian God in question sheepishly walked into the room soon after his brother retreated.

"I imagine you think that you hate me right now," Loki began, looking ready to give her a great speech of apology.

"I _do_ hate you right now," Thalia informed him. "You lied to me!"

"I knew no harm would come to you. Like when you blasted me. An inconvenience. Isn't that what you called it?"

"You didn't know," Thalia gritted out. "You _assumed_."

"Come on, Thea. I practically tried to take over their planet and they let me walk around without chains. They had no reason to perceive you as a threat. I knew they would let you go."

"Why?" she demanded. "Why did you do this to me? I was fine for a decade! In the span of a week you had me carelessly using my magic, almost killed my cat, broke into my house, put me in chains, and forced me to go through a five hour interrogation about myths and legends!"

His lips twitched, making her blood boil. "By Zeus, you make me so angry!" she growled, rubbing at her temples.

The insolent asshole laughed. "I'm so sorry. Truly, I am. But admit that it was a good plan. And besides, it worked out exactly like I wanted it to. It's better for you this way."

Thea shut her eyes, struggling to soothe her anger. Having another outburst would do her no good. When she opened them again, she fixed them on those of Loki. "Why is it better for me this way, Loki? What did you mean to achieve from this?"

"Why did you climb the mountain that night, Thea? Tell me the truth."

 _Because my longing to use my magic is so strong it hurts._ "You know why," she said instead, refusing to admit how difficult it had really become for her to bury her powers.

Loki momentarily shocked her by bringing a hand up to rest it on her jaw. "Your magic is part of you. You can't refuse it forever." He retreated his touch but shifted closer. "You said that you accidentally used your magic because of me. Maybe you are right. But if it didn't happen that night, it would happen another one. And it will happen again if you attempt to go without tapping into your powers for so long." His eyes lit up with humour. "Now you don't have to."

Thalia considered him. "I don't?"

"You have the humans' approval and with it reason to be in New Asgard. This room is not just my personal chamber. Try to reach outside with your magic."

Thalia hesitated. The battle between curiosity and caution raging in her mind.

Curiosity won.

She did as he said, sending a small wave of magic through the wall. She was met by an impenetrable shield, her waves bouncing right back into the room before receding.

Her eyes widened as she lifted her gaze up at Loki. "It's a cell."


	8. Chapter VIII︱ Truth

**_Chapter VIII_** **︱** **_Truth._**

"Can you cast that spell you used to communicate with me when I was passed out?" Loki asked, sounding hopeful.

Thalia's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Just do it, please. I promise to tell you when we talk in there."

Thalia sighed. Hearing him say "I promise" felt somehow insulting. He was lucky she was eager to use magic. She made to move lift her hand but then realized that he wouldn't be sleeping as she did it this time.

"I-I have to touch you," she said, failing to conceal her discomfort.

His brows went up. "You had your hands on me while I was unconscious?" He let the innuendo be heavy in his tone.

Thalia fought against the blush that threatened to show on her face. "I only cupped your cheek," she said in a surprisingly steady voice. Why did it suddenly become so uncomfortable to be around him? And why did she feel as if he was flirting with her? Thalia liked him better when he was trying to kill her.

"Should we sit?" Loki glanced at the sofa. "Will it take me out?"

She was glad for the subject change. "No, more like paralyze you. Your eyes will even remain open, but unseeing."

Loki nodded and gently took hold of her lower arm, raising it to his face. "Go on then."

Thalia's fingers brushed his jaw before her open palm came to rest on his cheek. It took her a few seconds to remember to cast the spell and she felt more than saw Loki's responsive smile.

She quickly forced her magic forward, requesting entry in his mind.

"Can you change the scenery?" he asked as soon as his gaze found her in the total darkness.

Thalia smiled. "No, but you can."

"Me?" Loki appeared surprised.

"This space belongs to you. I bring it forth with my magic so we can communicate. Try to manipulate the area around as you would while casting one of your illusions," she suggested.

The darkness around them began to slowly give away. It was a blurry world of vivid and sudden lights at first, but it eventually stabilized to an open grassy field, beneath clear blue skies.

"Much better." The God of Mischief sat down on the grass, beckoning her to do the same.

"Why did you want me to enter your mind?" Thalia asked as soon as she lowered herself opposite him, cross-legged.

"As you said, that room is a cell. I've check it a hundred times for surveillance and found nothing but I'd rather not take any chances."

"Thor said that you would try to convince me to do something. Urged me to decline. I think I'll heed that warning." Did he seriously think she would be doing anything for him after what he did?

"You still owe me a favor," Loki reminded her, expression lacking his earlier playfulness.

"I owe you nothing after what you did."

Loki irritation was plain on his face. "What about what I did is so horrible, huh?" He began to count his achievements on his fingers. "I got you a much better living space than that hole you were living in. We will provide anything you might need so you never have to worry about human currency again. You don't have to waste energy pretending to be human anymore. And let's not forget the most important of all. You don't have to suppress your magic here."

Thalia remained silent. All those things were true, but even so; he lied to her. "You could have told me your grand plan. I would have probably agreed."

"Would you?" His eyes dared her to lie to him.

"Okay, maybe not at first. But eventually. If you had explained that I wouldn't be in danger and that I could use magic."

"I sped up the process then," he insisted, then bestowed her with a small smile. "Friends?"

Thalia shook her head. "Why did you do it? The truth. You want something from me, that's clear. You didn't give me all those 'benefits' out of the good of your heart. It must be something specific, so spit it out."

"For now we need to focus on you getting comfortable using your magic and later I will tel–"

"No, Loki," Thalia stopped him. "You will tell me now. No more lies. You tell me what you want and I will decide if I'm willing to help you. Here. Today."

Loki didn't look too pleased with her but slightly inclined his head in agreement. "As you wish. I imagine you know that Asgard was destroyed. The short version of what followed is that the humans took us in but not every one of us is equally welcome. My presence among the Asgardians is not even public knowledge. The public loves my brother so the American government couldn't decline us aid, but they demanded that I was held in custody. They are not too happy with S.H.I.E.L.D. either so their assurances that I'm kept under strict surveillance are not very helpful. The room we are in is what they call their 'compromise'. I am never to leave New Asgard and I have to spend fourteen hours of every day inside those windowless walls." He paused, waiting for a reaction.

"That sucks," Thalia mumbled. But she still didn't see how she could assist him with that sort of problem.

"It does," Loki agreed. "Now they talk of putting me on trial. _Me. A God. Judged by humans._ "

Thalia lifted her gaze to find his own. "Trial? In a human court?"

"The way they put it is that considering my crimes, I deserve a life sentence. Which I imagine would be the better part of a century inside one those rooms. I don't plan on waiting around for that to happen."

Thalia was about to tell him that she can't create portals to other worlds but a sudden sense of uneasiness caused her to go completely still.

Loki noticed. "What is it?"

"Someone is in the room, watching us. I can sense it," Thalia said before she abruptly dropped her hold on the spell.

As soon as her eyes flickered open, she jerked her hand away from his face.

"Well, that was disgusting," she heard a feminine voice from behind her. "You must be Thea, I'm here to escort you to your chambers." The woman was Asgardian, Thalia judged from her aura and clothing. Her chocolate eyes full of judgment as she ran her gaze over the Goddess.

"That's Val," Loki provided. "Never show her where you hide your booze."


	9. Chapter IX︱ Vexing Valkyrie

_**Chapter IX**_ **︱** _ **Vexing Valkyrie.**_

Thalia followed the Asgardian female out, lingering at the door to throw one last glance at Loki. She recalled what he'd told her earlier, about being locked up for fourteen hours a day. She wondered if those fourteen hours were starting now.

He must have read the question in her eyes because Loki gave a nonchalance shrug and teleported on his bed, yawning.

A faint smile appeared on her lips, amused at his theatrics. Thalia felt his anger when they talked. Knew how insulted he was by the whole situation. _He's stuck here. What choice does he have but to behave?_

"Hey." Val expectantly tapped her foot. "Coming?"

Thalia pulled the inner door shut behind her and fell into step with the woman. A pair of human guards were walking down the corridor from the opposite direction. The conversation between them eased as soon as they noticed the two women, both sending obvious glares in Thalia's way.

She glared right back, not know exactly what for. "What's their problem?"

Val chuckled. "You have what I would call 'being Loki's friend stigma'."

Thalia came to an abrupt halt. "Come again?"

"Loki wanted the humans to meet his new friend. The humans hate Loki, so by extension they hate you. It's quite simple, really." Val began walking again forcing Thalia to do the same. She inwardly snorted. Maybe sometime soon she'd give them a real reason to glare at her for.

The door to her room was at the end of the long corridor, looking very similar to that of Loki. _Cell_. She hesitated.

Val sounded irritated. "Are you not coming in?"

Thalia ignored her, glancing at the electronic panel.

She heard the Asgardian woman's sigh. "No one is going to lock you in. If they meant to imprison you, they would have kept you in chains. Now, please come so I can explain the ground rules and be on my way."

Thalia reluctantly stepped inside. The room looked very similar to that of Loki, except it was a little smaller and there were no sea of books.

She spotted Lady Bas sleeping curled up on Thalia's new bed, not looking to have a care in the world, or feeling any displeasure at the sudden change of living environment.

She turned to the Valkyrie. "Ground rules?"

The other woman crossed her arms. "You are never to enter the royal palace without permission. If you need anything you come to me. If Loki happens to need anything, you also come to me. Loki is still a Prince of Asgard but never forget that Thor is the King and therefore you–"

"Why are you talking to me as if I am a naughty child? I don't know what Loki has told you all, but I've met him like two times in my life. Both of which turned out pretty shitty for me." Thalia was getting really tired of their constant warnings. She wasn't too happy with being given orders either.

"Loki showed interest in you," Val replied. "That means he's up to something, and you are part of it. I'm going to find out what that something is."

The woman's tone was accusatory, sending Thalia into defensive mode. Which of course for the daughter of Ares, was full on offense.

She stepped into Valkyrie's personal space. "You seem to think that you and I are equal. You are wrong. You are strong, I can sense that. But I am a Goddess." She let the intensity of her celestial power swirl in the area around her, eyes turning a bright silver. "I did not choose to come here, yet I am grateful for it. But threaten me again and you might not live to regret it."

The Asgardian kept her gaze, not cowed by the intensity of Thalia's silvery stare. "I see why you get along with Loki."

Thalia allowed the celestial energy to dwindle. "You do realize I can turn you into ash, right?"

"But you won't," Val said with certainty. "You attack me, you make an enemy out of the whole of Asgard."

"Are all Valkyries as annoying as you?" Thalia asked.

The other woman's expression shifted. Not in anger, in something different, yet similar to it. Whatever it was, it made Thalia want to take the question back. "There are no other Valkyries," she answered coldly.

The Goddess swallowed uncomfortably. "Loki," she began, changing the subject. "Is he going to be locked in for the rest of the day?"

Val seemed to relax as well. "Miss him already?" There was faint amusement in her eyes.

"He is one of your own," Thalia pointed out. "Doesn't it bother you that they keep him in there? Doesn't it bother his brother?"

The Valkyrie's expression sobered. "Me? Not really. Loki made his bed when he attacked the humans. A few decades in a cell for his offenses is a good trade for safe sanctuary on their planet. Not that Thor is going to have much choice."

"Can he receive visitors?" Thalia pressed.

"Such a waste of a beautiful head," the Valkyrie mumbled before sighing. "Yes, he can. What were you doing earlier?"

Thalia didn't know exactly what urged her to remain silent. Perhaps it was out of caution not to make the Asgardians any more suspicious of her by admitting to having private conversations with Loki in a place where none of them could hear.

"I see." Val shrugged. "Well, when he becomes the reason all hell breaks loose on you, don't say I didn't warn you." And with that she left the room; leaving Thalia alone to come to terms with all the crazy that occurred in the last few hours.


	10. Chapter X︱ our little secret

_**Chapter X**_ **︱** _ **"**_ _ **our little secret."**_

To Thalia's displeasure, the human woman also stayed true to her word about returning the next day with new questions. Today, they were much more specific about what they wanted to know, but that was expected, she supposed.

"Why are you on earth? Who are you running from?" Natasha asked.

Thalia sighed. "Does it really matter?"

"It does if they can follow you here."

"They won't." She did her best to sound convincing.

"But they can?"

This human female was so damn perceptive, Thalia couldn't help but respect her a little bit, which in turn annoyed her even further. "They don't know where I am. Olympus used to be a Gateway before Zeus shut the doors–a heaven for those who were welcome to visit. As far as he is concerned, I could have taken any one of the portals, all leading to different realms. The universe is vast, trust me."

"He? He who? Zeus?"

Thalia inwardly cursed. _No, Ares. The one your kind knows as God of War._ She somehow felt that hearing that wouldn't be very reassuring so she conceded for a half-truth. "No, not Zeus. My father."

"You are on the run from your father?" A small smile curled across the human's lips. "Like a runaway kid?"

If only it was as simple as that.

She returned the smile. "Sure."

Thor came forward. "How old are you? You look like an adult."

Her gaze snapped to him. "I _am_ an adult. A hundred and sixty."

"At what age is your one of your race considered fully developed?" the Asgardian King asked again.

Thalia remained silent for a moment. "A hundred and fifty." She knew exactly which question was coming next so she answered it before Thor had time to ask it. "It's been a decade, since I've stepped foot on earth."

"You left Olympus as soon as you came of age," he stated with a hint of concern. "Why?"

"That's personal. I've told you, the chances of anyone locating me here are very low. Unless any information about me somehow leaks from your side."

"And what if your father finds you here? What happens then?" Natasha pressed.

"He is going to ask you to hand me over," Thalia answered honestly. "In the extreme circumstances that such a thing comes to pass, I suggest you do as he says."

"You ran from him but you would have us give you back?" The human sounded surprised.

"If he finds me, there is not a single thing you can do to keep him from taking me. I committed treason, remember? But, he is not a fool. Unlawfully crossing into this realm to bring his daughter back might be a good enough story to serve to Zeus. Slaughtering humans however, would be much more difficult for our King to digest. He is not going to attack you for as long as you don't attack him first, I assure you."

Natasha seemed thoughtful for a moment but gave a small nod. "That will be all for today. We appreciate your cooperation."

Thalia wondered for how much longer her vague answers would keep the mortals satisfied. Having so many Asgardians around helped, she supposed. To most of them she looked no different than one of the civilians of New Asgard. Expect for one–two, actually. Thalia regretted giving the Valkyrie a glimpse of her celestial form the moment she felt her eyes turning silver. But she was still in the high of using magic with Loki and it was the first time she didn't have to hide her celestial energy in years. It was a mistake nonetheless. Thankfully, it seemed Val either didn't think much of it or decided to keep the incident to herself.

She would have to return to her house later, to pick up her things. At least the humans had conceded to allow her outside the bubble for that–even if it is with an escort. Clean clothes and necessities to shower have been provided for her last night but she still needed to call in at work and tell them that she won't be showing anymore. She didn't take her cell phone with her when Loki brought her here but Val did say that if she needed anything she should go to her so Thalia decided to go looking for the Asgardian female.

She only took three steps towards the door before she stopped dead on her heels and gasped. "Loki," she exclaimed. He was casually leaning on the wall right next to the door has definitely not been there two seconds ago–or has he? "How long have you been there?"

"A while," he said with a smile as he approached.

"How did you get in? I thought you couldn't–" she stopped when realization hit her. "You sneaked in when the human entered with your brother."

"Smart girl." He came to a halt directly in front of her. "Besides, it's yard time. So I'm not technically breaking any rules by being here."

"You heard all that?" she wasn't certain of how she felt about Loki knowing all she had told the humans.

He nodded. "Family drama, huh?" His lips curled a little. "I'm a bit of an expert."

 _Not going there, buddy._ "I'm going back to my house in a bit to gather my things. Do you want to come with?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not supposed to leave New Asgard," Loki reminded her.

"It's only a mile out, and the other day you even came to the ci–"

Loki covered her mouth his palm. "That didn't happen. Nor did I ever come to your house as far as the humans are concerned. I found you watching us just outside the bubble and invited you back to my chamber."

Thalia reddened and pulled his hand away from her face. " _Is that what you told them?_ " she demanded. Well that explained the looks, and the mystery of why no one ever asked any direct questions about her and Loki.

"It's for the best, trust me. Do you know how worse their questioning would be if they had realized just how powerful you are? Thankfully, the only one who has felt the full extend of your magic–painful as it was–is me."


	11. Chapter XI︱ Fatherly love

**_Chapter XI_** **︱** **_Fatherly love._**

Thalia bit her lip. "That's not entirely true," she said nervously.

Loki's emerald eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Val…" she began. "I may have threatened to turn her into ash."

He stared at her dumbfounded for a heartbeat, not saying a word. Then to her utter surprise, he busted out laughing. "I should be displeased with this," he managed.

"But the humans didn't mention it so I'm assuming she didn't tell them, or your brother," she continued reassuringly.

Loki considered that. "Did you just threaten her?"

"No…I, I only allowed her to feel a little bit of my celestial energy's force. I don't think she thought much of it."

"Hmm," he nodded. "Leave Val to me, but don't make a habit of going around glowing, alright? They figured that you are a witch, but you and I both know that you are so much more than just that." He sat on the sofa, patting the seat next to him. "Come, we need to talk about your lessons."

Thalia reluctantly approached and lowered herself on the crimson cushion next to him. "Lessons? Actually wait, don't answer that. About Val–"

"I told you, I will handle–"

"Listen to me Loki," she insisted. "I told her what I am. I don't know what had gotten into me. She challenged me and I guess for a second there I forgot that I wasn't supposed to drop _all_ of the act." She stopped when she realized that she was rumbling, glancing up at the God of Mischief.

Loki was regarding her with what appeared to be utter confusion, trying to make sense of her words. "What you are?" he muttered. "You are an Olympian–" Loki abruptly went quiet, his eyes slightly widening before settling on her own. "–Goddess," he finished, searching her face for confirmation.

She cocked her head. "Why do you look surprised?" He felt her celestial energy before. Did he think everyone in Olympus could master that kind of magic?

"I thought…never mind what I thought. This changes things. If she didn't talk to Thor, it only means that she wants to find out more about you before she does. But as I said, leave Val to me. Tell me about your parentage."

Thalia shifted uncomfortably. "Why? I thought we were going to practice." _Whatever that means._

"To best help you to have complete control over your magic, I need to know the routes of said magic. You probably inherited most of your abilities from one or both parents. Even abilities you don't know about yet."

Loki's words made sense but the last thing Thalia wanted in that moment was talk about Venus and Ares. "Then we can go through the abilities I know they possess," she offered. "Even though I'm pretty sure that most of my magic comes from my mother." Other than the one single gift she received from Ares. A rare gift, and precious. So precious in fact, it ended up being the reason she had to flee her home. _And the father who deceived me into believing that he loves anything other than coating his sword with blood._ "But why?" Thalia insisted. "What do _you_ gain out of helping me?"

Loki smiled. "Don't you want to feel in control? To have power over your magic instead of it having power over you?"

 _"Do you feel its power, my little warrior? Do you feel your essence bonding with the spear?"_

 _Blood. Screaming. Ares's crooked smile. More blood. Ares's fingers closing gently around hers._

 _"Don't mourn for them, my love. I gave them a choice."_

 _Blood._

 _Screaming._

 _Blood. Blood. Blood._

Thalia shook her head, struggling to clear it of memories best left forgotten.

"What's wrong?" Loki sounded genuinely concerned.

"Nothing." She abruptly got to her feet. "I need to find Val. We can continue this conversion later. I'll come to your chamber if you are locked in by the time I return from my house." And with that she left him, not waiting for a reply.

She pulled the door open to come face to face with the human named Bruce, fist raised as if he was about to knock.

"Oh, Hello." Bruce glanced at her uncomfortably, lowering his arm.

"Yes?" She prompted. "I thought questioning ended for the day."

"I did," he confirmed. "I was just wondering if you would humour me by answering a few more. Personal curiosity."

As it happened, Thalia was also curious about this human who didn't feel at all like one. It was also a good distraction. "I need to find Val. Walk with me?" she offered.

He nodded, then noticed Loki sprawled on the sofa behind her. "If this is not a good time, I can always come back–"

"No it's fine. It's perfect, actually. You surely know your way around and I have no idea where to look for Val."

"Of course, she must be at the palace."

Thalia fell into step beside him, walking towards the heart of New Asgard. "So, what is it that you wanted to know?"

"Olympus," Bruce said vaguely. "Tell me about it. What does it look like? Where is it? How do things work there?"

She couldn't help but smile at his obvious curiosity. "Olympus is...complicated. Especially for a mortal to understand. I mean no offense by that, but this world's foundations do not depend on what your kind would call 'magic'. Not like ours does. The most basic way for me to describe it to you is that there are twelve territories, each covering geographically an area equal to...maybe South America? But the odd part is the way they are inter-connected I suppose, and the weather. There are no seasons in Olympus, since the weather patterns are influenced by celestial energy. Each one somehow represents the celestial signature of the ruling God or Godess. Some work like organised courts, others have a more chaotic feel to them. There is a thirteenth territory—the Underworld— completely independent from the rest, but it would take hours to explain how that one functions."

"But Zeus rules over the other twelve?"

"Yes. Zeus's court is the largest and most powerful."

He fell silent for a second, looking thoughtful before he finally asked, "So, Hercules. Was he really Zeus's son with a mortal woman?"

Thalia snorted. "It always comes back to that overrated half-blood," she muttered.

"Who's an overrated half-blood?"

Thalia turned to find Val approaching them. "Hercules," she told her.

"Never heard of him," the other woman replied.

"You are not missing out on anything grand, trust me." Thalia shifted her attention to Bruce. "Perhaps we can continue this conversation later?"

Thalia inwardly groaned at the delighted glimmer in his gaze about the prospect of learning more about Olympus. But she had her own questions about him so she reckoned it was worth her breath.

Val found a cell phone for her to call the coffee shop and even insisted that Thalia stays and hangs out with her an a few other Asgardians until they left for her house. The Valkyrie's offer sounded like one born of kindness but Thalia knew that in truth, Val wanted her close where she could keep an eye on her, well away from Loki.

Thalia accepted regardless. If there was one thing she'd learned all the years she'd spent with Ares, is that one should always be aware of his surroundings. Locking herself in her chamber and out of sight might be the more comfortable choice right now, but she knew it wasn't the wise one.


	12. Chapter XII︱ Games

_**Chapter XII**_ **︱** _ **Games.**_

By the time Thalia returned back to New Asgard, Loki was already locked in for the day. She had promised to see him as soon as she was back so she headed straight for his chamber.

"Val said that I can go inside," she told the human guard outside the door.

The man glared at her but reluctantly pushed some buttons on the panel behind him and she heard the locking mechanism retreat with a few loud clicks.

Loki appeared surprised to see her enter. "Didn't think you'd actually come," he said as soon as she closed the heavy door.

Thalia walked casually to his seating area, settling on a comfortable armchair. "Why not? I told you I would."

"You looked…distressed earlier." He hesitated. "A little angry too."

She waited for him to take a seat on the sofa before speaking. "I was not angry. You just sounded very familiar to someone I know. It brought back memories I would rather never remember again," she told him truthfully but made it clear in her tone that she would not be sharing anything else on the matter.

Loki must've gotten the message because he gave a small nod. "I see." His expression shifted, his usual smile appearing on his lips. And just like that the tension between them was gone. "So, since you are here, would I be correct to assume that you want me to help you with your magic?"

"Yes." If Thalia had stayed in Olympus, she would've gotten a mentor to assist her with her growing powers, help her understand them and show her how to use the celestial energy flowing within her to master certain abilities. It would have been someone with magic similar to her own, likely her mother. Loki's magic was different than her own but it was the closest thing to a mentor she would get. "Even though I have a feeling that I will likely regret this," she quietly added.

"I assure you, you will not." He grinned. "Let's start with some basic abilities that are easy to use after you practice them once or twice. Can you teleport?"

Thalia shook her head. "I never have."

"Can any one of your parents teleport?"

She nodded. "Both can. Only my mother can do long distances, however. My father sometimes uses it in combat."

His blue-green eyes lit with curiosity. "In combat?"

"Yes, weapon to weapon combat, to switch between locations or enemies." Thalia wondered if she conceded too much. She also wondered why her tongue went for a walk every time he was around. _He is only befriending you because he wants something_ , she reminded herself. She didn't have anything close to a friend for over a decade so she couldn't help but want to make a connection with someone. But Loki…his manipulative ways reminded her too much of Ares. Different words, same methods. Realizing that your own father considers you as nothing more than another weapon to unleash on whoever he decides has lost the right to live has an effect on one's ability to trust. Especially if said father pretended to love you for your whole life. She had no intention of being manipulated or lied to ever again.

"Who did you say your father is again?" Loki asked.

"I did not say. So, are you going to teach me how to teleport?"

Thankfully, he accepted the subject change. "Assuming that you have the ability to do so, yes I will." He got on his feet. "Come," he said and moved, not waiting for an answer.

Thalia followed, wondering how exactly he was going to teach her how to teleport. He halted in the middle of the enormous chamber. "In order to teleport, you need to know how to be aware of the space around you. You must see it without your eyes, feel the objects rather than seeing them. You don't want to accidentally end up impaled somewhere or off a tall cliff, so you need to learn how to use your energy to determine what's where even if it's not in your line of sight."

The goddess considered that. "How?" she had no idea how to manipulate her celestial energy other than to use release it in its purest form.

The curve of his lips had a promise of something she couldn't quite determine. "By taking away your ability to see, of course." He brought a hand up a conjured a dark green piece of silk.

Thalia gazed at it, then at him. "Not going to happen," she said matter-of-factly, knowing full well what he wanted to do.

He gave her a bored look. "I'm trying to help you. This is the fastest way."

Loki made a move to lift his arm and tie the blindfold around her head. "Wait." She pushed his hand away and took a step back. "Explain to me what we are doing here first."

"As I said, you will lose the ability to see. I will stand somewhere in the room and after you manage to determine my location with the rest of your senses, you will try to send out your energy in small doses to find a safe spot near me to teleport."

"You forget that I don't know how to teleport," Thalia reminded him.

"Once you manage to use your energy without releasing your hold on it as you would when sending a blast–" He gave her a pointed look as he said the last words, making sure to remind her of the little incident the day she'd met him. "–using it as an anchor for your physical body will come naturally. You will know what I mean once you try it. You know very well that magic is not easy to put into words."

She nodded. His method made sense to her ears but she didn't like it. Somehow the whole act made her feel vulnerable, and he already saw her in her weakened state once today. "But I want to find something to eat first," she told him. "Perhaps we can start tomorrow? I heard that teleportation takes a huge amount of energy and I'm afraid that the food your people were kind enough to send earlier will not suffice."

"How long can you go without food?" asked Loki.

"A few weeks, but I haven't had a decent meal for days and in Olympus most of us like our food…sweet. Do you think they have anything sugary in the kitchens?"

The God of Mischief laughed. "The humans probably do. Did they forbid you entrance to their quarters?"

"The only place is was specifically told not to enter on my own is the palace."

"There have a common kitchen for human employees, I believe," Loki provided. "Try their fridge."

"Thank you," Thalia said and hurried for the door.

"Thea," she heard him call as soon as her fingers closed around the handle. "It seems that every time you are uncomfortable, you run. It's a bad habit to have."

She heard his words but didn't acknowledge them, leaving the room without glancing back at him. Did he just call her a coward? He knew nothing about her. About what she'd seen–about what she'd done. Her hands fisted at her sides as she navigated through the foreign city. She needed his knowledge to get a hold on her magic so she would still go through with the lessons, but it was good that he angered her. She needed the reminder that she could never trust this particular God.


	13. Chapter XIII︱ The Soldier

**_Chapter XIII_** **︱** **_The Soldier._**

The few human guards and employees Thalia encountered during her search for their quarters pointed her in the right direction but did not hide their displeasure at having to interact with her. She suspected that they were instructed by someone of a higher rank to assist her but it was obviously vexing them to have to do so. She wondered how long it would be until she snapped at someone, thus why she kept her exchanges with them short and quick.

The human quarters were not far from where they had dug through the mountain to create the chamber-cells. Their opening was bigger than the outer door of her new accommodations and there was no guard outside. There was one posted just inside the door however, and the tall human male did not look happy to see her enter.

"May I use your kitchen?" Thalia asked with as much politeness she had left in her after her encounters with the others of his kind. "I'm sure you can share a little bit of your food with the evil sorceress Loki is surely to unleash upon you," she added sarcastically against her better judgment.

She expected him to scowl at her but the human only stared for a second, then a small smiled curved his mouth. "That's not what we refer to you as," he informed her. "You got one part right, though. The men took to calling you evil siren."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "I am not a siren, I assure you. And you do not want to have a close encounter with one of their kind–ever." She sighed. "I'm hungry, so can I use your kitchen or not? I don't carry anything contagious, promise."

His faint smile turned into a full grin. "Double doors down that corridor," the human said, pointing to the left side of the hall.

"Thank you," Thalia muttered and made for that direction.

She truly hoped there was something appropriate for her to eat. One meal every few days had been enough to sustain her while she lived in isolation, but that was only because she had not been tabbing into her celestial energy. Now that she had the opportunity, Thalia intended to use as much of it as she could without burning the whole place down. The thought caused a ghost of a smile to appear on her lips. _I should probably take some food with me back to the chamber_ , she decided.

The lights were off when she entered the vast kitchen, Thalia almost not noticing the man sitting on a tall stool by the dark marble counter, a steaming cup in his hand.

His head snapped towards her as soon as she entered but the only light in the room was the faint glow coming from another door which was ajar, so she couldn't make out his features. She looked around for a switch.

"Behind you," the man said. "On your left."

"Who are you?" he asked as soon as the lights came on. "Never seen you here before."

Thalia took him in. Short blond hair and ocean blue eyes, body worthy of a warrior. She frowned. "You are the soldier," she blurted out. He was wearing jeans and a simple black t-shirt instead of his tight body-suit, but she was certain that it was him.

Thalia always believed that the furthest she remained of human affairs, the safest she would be. So she deliberately avoided coming into contact with information about earth's heroes. This one however, she remembered. Both thanks to his acts in the defence of this planet, and the hilarious educational videos someone thought a good idea to make with him that were all over youtube.

 _But if he is here, then_ … She felt a little stupid for not realising who Natasha and Bruce were sooner, but in her defence, she hadn't really thought about it until this moment.

"It seems that you have me at a disadvantage," he said. "My name is Steve, by the way. Not soldier."

"I'm Thea," she told him. "I'm sorry to interrupt…whatever you were doing in the darkness. Do you know if there is anything sweet in here? Chocolate, cake, candy, anything like that would do."

He ignored her question and go off his stool, standing to his full height. The man was at least six feet tall, all sharp edges and hard muscle. If she was human, she might have actually been a little frightened of him. Especially considering that his eyes abruptly hardened as soon as she told him her fake-name.

"You are the one Loki brought," he said his gaze running down her frame. "The siren."

Oh, that was it. She'd had enough of the humans and their stupid assumptions. "For the last time, I am not a siren," she gritted out. "In fact, the next person who refers to me as one, will likely bleed." She straightened her shoulders. "Moving on, I understand that you all hate him–I'd probably hate him too, were I you. But what have I ever done to earn that distaste I see in your eyes?"

She saw some regret in his gaze but it was still mostly clouded by suspicion. "Certain of your choices, beg for questioning," he said carefully. "Especially since from what you just said, you know what he's done."

Thalia sighed. She was going to kill Loki for what he has led them to believe. She couldn't admit the complete truth so she tried to smooth the lie. "What Loki told you regarding how I came here is true. But what he tricked you into assuming was the reason behind it is not. I only followed him here because I was curious about this place. I've been hearing the fuss from my house for weeks. I was definitely not looking for a godly midnight hook-up."

His eyes widened a little, regret fuly evident in the blue pools now. "I see," he murmured. "The men are a little bit on edge, having him here. After all he's done–"

Thalia held up a hand, halting the prologue to an apology she was not interested in hearing. "I don't care," she told him. "I already told you, I get it. But you have to understand that I am not one of you. I don't support his actions but neither do they concern me. I know it might sound harsh, but I try to stay out things that are obviously not my business. Loki's quarrel with the humans is one of those things."

He gave a small nod and turned to the fridge. He opened the freezer and pulled out a large plastic container, fumbling in a drawer next to him with the other hand until her produced a spoon.

He took the lid of the box and offered it to her along with the spoon. "Ice cream is sweet enough, I imagine."

 _This_ apology she was very willing to accept. She even managed to bestow him with a tiny smile. "It certainly is, thank you." She took the chocolate ice cream from him and took a seat by the counter. "I'm not into sharing my spoon so you should get your own if you want some," she said in acceptance of the truce he offered.

"I was about to head out when you entered, I'm afraid," he said. "But maybe another time."

Thalia nodded and watched him as he left his cup in the kitchen sink and threw on his leather jacket before turning for the door.

"I'll speak with the men," he said without looking back at her and then disappeared down the corridor.

Thalia shrugged even though he could not see her. "It's not like I give a shit," she murmured to no one in particular and went back to devouring her favourite human invention.


	14. Chapter XIV︱ Fight me

_**Chapter XIV**_ **︱** __ _ **Fight me.**_

 _ **Loki**_

Loki left his chamber as soon as he heard the sound of the door unlocking. _How much longer must I endure this?_ Thor still believed that they would come to an understanding with the humans but Loki knew better than to hold on to such feeble hopes. He had to get away from Earth, at least for a century or two. Thankfully, it was no longer a matter of how he would managed to do it but of _when_.

Thea was the key to his plans–she just didn't know it yet. Loki was naturally curious about her since the moment he'd caught her gazing at New Asgard with wonder in her glimmering pale blue eyes. When he'd realized where she'd come from, everything clicked into place.

There were countless books about countless races in the libraries of Asgard, but the Olympian's section was the one lacking the most. No one was certain what it was that caused Zeus to end communications between his part of The Universe and the rest of intelligent life, but whatever it was, it seemed to have served its purpose. All the information that was left about the race the humans have worshipped for millennia after its disappearance was pre-Zeus mood swing; often also inaccurate.

All this made no matter to the Prince of Asgard. Only one piece knowledge was of use to him: Olympus used to be a gateway. Even Asgard had a portal connecting with it–though, that was long before Loki's time. But Odin told him and Thor that he had once visited Zeus, and made peace between their realms. He couldn't remember the details of it, which was unusual–Loki seldom forgot anything. He took a mental note to ask Thor what he recalled about it later.

Thea–or whatever her true name is–has somehow managed to cross between the worlds and that could only mean one thing; the portals are not destroyed, only inactive. If the little witch could activate one, she must be able to also activate the others. He wouldn't even need a ship, only her to bounce them to another realm.

Unfortunately, she does not seem eager to return to Olympus, and Loki would have to cross there first before he can take another gate. He knew that he had to treat carefully with her, else she might just bail. He saw it in her eyes when she felt cornered in her house, that look a spooked animal has right before it flees. She would have to be willing to help him and that, annoyingly, might take some time.

It didn't surprise him that she wasn't in her room, nor that he ended up tracking her at the palace. He quietly made his way to the balcony she was standing on, watching as the few Asgardian warriors that remained trained underneath. His brother and Banner were with her, the latter looking to be asking questions which she answered without taking her gaze from the men sparring below.

For the first time since he'd met her, she looked…relaxed. She tried to force a smile back when one of the soldiers found himself flat on his ass, the sword of the other one against the skin of his neck, but failed. _A playful smile,_ he realized with a start. Was this woman even capable of playfulness? He never saw her lips curve, not even once before today. An uneasiness he couldn't quite place caused his jaw to clench but he quickly recovered.

"There you are," Loki said as he passed through the opening leading to the balcony.

Her shoulders slightly stiffened before she glanced back at him. _Is this how it is then_? he thought with irritation. Since the night he'd offered to help her control her powers and she all but ran out of the room, Thea has been even more uncomfortable around him. It vexed him not to know what the source of that discomfort was. She'd only conceded that he had reminded her of someone, but who?–and why? _A lover whose betrayal caused her to choose exile,_ he mused. That annoyed him even further, but it could be a very possible explanation considering her age. Her body might scream woman, but inside she was little more than a teenager. He was still playing pranks on the palace guards when he was her age.

Still, he let his gaze lazily travel down her form. Loki knew that for all her fake confidence, the goddess was mostly naïve where flirting was concerned. At first, he thought to use it to his advantage–teasing her had been surprisingly fun as well. Now however, he often caught himself thinking of her beautiful curves instead of how it would be best to proceed in the matter of convincing her to assist him with what he knew needed to be done.

Thea didn't miss his throughout inspection going by the slight blush on her cheeks. Even so, for all his attempts at flirting, he was the one looking to be most affected by it. _Why do you even care?_ he scolded himself, yet words came rumbling out of his mouth. "Would you like to spar with me?"

She appeared surprised at his offer, and so did Thor. "Afraid to face someone your own size?" his brother asked with a laugh.

The goddess took offense before Loki could. "You don't think me a worthy opponent for him, Your Majesty?"

Thor looked lost. "You are a girl–and young at that, I only meant–"

"Yes, I'll spar with you," she told Loki, speaking over his brother.

Banner only gazed between the three of them, confused.

Loki had a feeling he would regret this later. "What's your weapon of choice?"

"Spear," she said. "Could you provide me with one?"

Loki arched a brow at his brother. Thor considered her for a moment, then nodded before sending one of the guards to the armoury.

The God of Mischief would rather fight using his knifes but he was curious of her ability so he would humour her with a spear. He leapt over the balcony, Thea following and landing on the earth below gracefully, knees slightly bended. The other men stopped and turned to them, their curiosity more than obvious in their eyes.

When she was handed the spear, she gazed at it with an unreadable expression masking her face. Then she sighed and shook her head.

"Is the weapon not to your liking, Twinkles?" asked Val who had joined his brother and Banner upstairs.

Loki tensed but to his relief, Thor only frowned and asked, "Twinkles?"

Ideally, he wanted to keep his brother out of his plans. He couldn't be accused of assisting something he was not aware of, and the humans would have no trouble believing that Loki went behind Thor's back, besides. The Valkyrie might prove to be a problem if she concedes what Thea had stupidly shown her, since, well…Loki might have downplayed the power he sensed surging through the Olympian that night they came upon her on the mountaintop.

The Goddess ignored the way Val had addressed her. "The spear is finely made, it's just…"

"…not as good as some," the Valkyrie finished for her.

Thea's blue gaze snapped to her immediately. "Yes," she admitted with a nod, "not as good as some. But it will do." She turned to Loki, flashing him a smile for the first time. "Shall we?"


	15. Chapter XV︱ Sigh

_**Chapter XV**_ **︱** __ _ **Sigh.**_

Loki patiently waited for her to lunge, taunting her with a wide smile. The little witch surprised him by smiling right back, not falling for the bait.

She held her spear in front of her with both hands, just as Loki did. The weapons were light enough to wield one-handed but as they both waited for the other to make the first move, they better served as shields.

He felt the stares of the spectators. Most of them probably wondered what the hell he was thinking challenging a girl who a couple of days ago admitted to only recently reaching adulthood. Well, the prince of Asgard wasn't sure, if he was being honest with himself. There was something in the way she'd watched the men spar, longing and interest that Loki wanted to explore. He hadn't even expected her to accept, but then Thor had to go and ruffle her feathers by picking at her pride.

Regardless, it was too late to take the challenge back now even if he wanted to.

His patience left him when Val asked what exactly it is that Loki finds so scary about Thea from her spot on the railing above. He leapt forward, slightly moving to the left to give the impression that he would attack from that side just as he shifted the spear to his right hand and thrust it towards her.

The witch didn't fall for the cheap trick, easily blocking his weapon with her own before moving faster than Loki thought possible and somehow positioning herself behind him. His back was unguarded for that split second it took him to realize where she had moved and he knew that if she'd wanted, she could've put her spear through him right then, but she didn't; she only brought the weapon defensively in front of her, waiting for him to try again.

 _She's playing with me,_ Loki realized with vague bemusement. If games is what she wants, games she shall have.

He lunged a second time but, as before, she blocked him and put some distance between them. They danced that same evasive dance for a while; him trying to reach her and the Goddess gracefully dodging him or halting his efforts with her spear.

So far, she's made no move to return any of his attacks, which only served to confuse him even further. There were a few hints in the way she spoke and acted that she was more comfortable with physical combat than using her magic, but he never expected her to be this good with any weapon. The way she moved in sync with the spear, however...it was almost as if the steel was as much a part of her as her arms and legs were.

Thankfully for Loki, he was also good with most weapons and determined not to lose this fight; not when so many were watching. Even some of the humans were lured by the sound of steel on steel and he was not about to let them see him be defeated by what they considered to be little more than a young girl. They were wrong, though. Their dull heads might not be able to process much more than Thea's inviting exterior but Loki could see that the woman wasn't a stranger to combat—and any doubts that he might have had about her ability dispersed after this display.

He forced his annoyance to recite; her provocatively defensive game's purpose was to anger him, cause him to make a mistake. Then, she _would_ attack, the God of Mischief was certain.

Loki unhurriedly circled her, letting her anticipate his next attack. He had fallen into a pattern, which she seemed to have picked up on early on and easily blocked him every time. He even allowed some irritation to flash across his face, giving her a false sense of having the upper hand. It was about time to end this spectacle.

His spear thrust forward as it did a dozen times before, but as her own came up to meet it, it went right through, causing Thea to almost lose her step as she hit air. She clumsily found her balance, but it was too late. Loki's real weapon collided with her own so forcibly, it send it flying to the side before halting at her throat.

She went completely still when the cold metal touched her skin but her displeasure at his tactics was evident in her wide eyes.

"Yield," he told her simply.

Her eyes flashed. "You cheated," she spat at him accusingly. When Loki made no effort to reply, nor to move his weapon, she tried to back away but immediately stopped when he pressed the spear harder against her neck, causing the skin to break. The cut was shallow, but a few droplets of crimson trailed down the blade.

The way she looked at him promised revenge, and for a moment she said nothing. Then ever so quietly, "Fine, I yield. Get it off me now."

He had half a mind to make her repeat the words louder but he had already pushed her enough for one day. Causing her to despise him did not serve any purpose. He did, however, keep an eye on her as he retreated his spear in case she immediately looked for vengeance. She didn't, but the promise was still there in those azure pools as she watched him.

"You _did_ cheat," Val pointed out as she climbed down the marble steps with his brother.

Loki gave her a bored look. "Did I?"

"You used an illusion," Thea grit out.

"When did ever promise not to use magic?" he challenged nonchalantly.

She tightly shut her eyes in exasperation, then looked at the sky and murmured something in a language Loki did not understand–very likely curses. When her gaze found his again, most of the anger was gone, replaced by faint disbelief. "I suppose you didn't," she conceded. "I almost forgot who I was dealing with. You would have lost if you hadn't used magic," she announced.

Thor nodded his agreement, then said, "You position yourself perfectly. Impressive for someone so young. Who taught you how to fight?"

She swallowed. "My father did."

 _Her father, again._ Whoever this being was, she was terrified of him. The panic he'd glimpsed passing across her features when she'd realized that he knew what she was suggested as much. From the little she had conceded about him, Loki imagined he was the warrior type. That was the first clue that she might be more comfortable with physical combat. But why was she so scared of him?

"Your father sounds interesting," Val broke in. "Care to discuss him?"

"Nope," replied Thea with a smile, then turned to Loki and seemed to consider something for a second before speaking. "Come with me?" She didn't sound certain, but the prince of Asgard understood what she was asking. Thea wanted to go through with the lessons. _Ah, the performance has served its purpose, it seems,_ he thought with triumph. There was a reason he let the fight go on for as long as it did before ending it with the use of one single tiny illusion. Loki wanted her to see that no matter how good she was with the spear, an opponent using any sort of magical gift would always have the upper hand in a fight. Her reaction to his performance could have gone either way but he sensed that the Olympian Goddess was not the type to sulk after a lost challenge. Instead, her purpose became to beat him. She knew as well as him that for such a thing to happen she would have to "cheat" too, and he was the only one who had the knowledge to help her improve in that department.

"Of course," he replied with a grin, motioning her to lead the way.


	16. Chapter XVI︱ Lesson One

_**Chapter XVI**_ **︱** __ _ **Lesson One.**_

 _ **Thalia**_

Thalia's gaze never left Loki as she trailed after him in the direction of their cave-chambers _. You arrogant smug piece of Pegasus dung,_ she thought with distaste. She bloody hated tricks, and she hated being publicly defeated even more.

Unfortunately, the clown did have a point. Magic could come really handy in a fight–life saving even. But that didn't mean she wouldn't get back at him for the stunt he'd pulled. It'd just have to be a delayed payment, since she had no idea how to completely control her magic yet. Using it out in the open at all would be asking for trouble; should it leak into the atmosphere, it may be used to detect her location.

Loki paused at the outer door. "Your room or mine, then?"

She fought against the blush that threatened to show on her cheeks. The trickster often played with his words lately, always trying to get a reaction. "Mine," she answered nonchalantly.

He smiled that knowing smile that caused her to want to punch him right in-between those laughing green-blue eyes. "As you wish."

Lady Bas looked up from her spot at the bed when they entered, and Thalia could have sworn that she heard a growl when the feline's eyes found Loki, but she quickly lost interest in them and settled her head back on her paws. The animal had never been particularly easy to read, but it was acting even more queerly since they've moved to the Asgardian City. It's not that it seemed to disapprove of their new housing arrangements, but it began doing things that had never interested it before. Exploring, for example. Thalia's cat has never been interested in going too far from her favourite pillow, but now she demanded to be let out the door. Sometimes, she would take days to return, venturing in the city. Val has told her that she'd even spotted the cat deep in the palace. They'd assumed that she'd been lost and returned her to Thalia's chambers. The temperature and lack of snow inside the bubble had much to do with the cat's new habits, she imagined, but that didn't explain its plain distaste for two particular males.

Her dislike of Loki, Thalia sort of understood–the two of them didn't meet under the best of circumstances–but even so, one would think that the stubborn animal would have gotten over it by now. The cat had no reason to hate Steve, though. And yet, every time Thalia visited the human quarters–which was often since that's where ice-cream's at–and Lady Bas tagged along, she would treat the human male with the same feline contempt she usually reserved for the God of Mischief. Loki didn't seem to care about the whole thing, but Steve had tried to win the cat over once, offering a can of tuna while trying to pet her with the other hand. She'd clawed him, then ate the fish after it'd spilled on the floor as he snatched his hand back.

"Teleportation?"

Loki's question pulled her out of her thoughts regarding the odd feline. "Must we use that thing?"

She could tell that he was trying not to laugh. "The blindfold? I explained how we are to do this. It'll work."

"Can't I just close my eyes?"

He shook his head. "I want all your attention to be on your magic. When I call out to you, your first instinct will be to open your eyes and find me. I would rather you put that little effort you would waste keeping your eyes closed into seeing through your celestial energy."

Thalia gave a reluctant nod, then extended her hand expectantly.

Loki chuckled before conjuring up the soft piece of dark green silk. "Try to find me first and tell me my location," he said as he handed it to her. "Once you've managed that a few times, we'll move on to you teleporting."

She tied the blindfold around her head and straightened. "What am I supposed to be doing?" she asked, seeing nothing but pitch-black.

"Send your energy out and try to hold on to it. Guide it around the room and try to determine what's where." His voice seemed to come from every direction, causing her to frown.

"Why are _you_ using magic?" she inquired, confused.

"I need you to find me using your energy, not your ears," he explained with a hint of annoyance. "Focus."

Thalia stifled the growl that climbed up her throat and searched for the magic buried deep inside her. She let out a small amount of energy through her fingers, feeling it warm her skin as it left her body. Her sole attention was on maintaining the connection, but even holding on for more than ten seconds seemed like the hardest thing she's ever done.

She tried again and again, but she just kept losing the link. Her frustration must've shown on her face because Loki said, "I never said that it would be easy, but you are doing better. You managed to keep the last one connected to you for half a minute. I need you to try and move your energy faster though."

For once, he sounded neither smug nor provoking and for that much Thalia was thankful. It wouldn't take much for her to rip off the blindfold and direct that energy right to him, she imagined. Perhaps he'd sensed that too and was more careful with his words.

She swallowed her annoyance at her inability to keep a grip on her own energy and tried again. She forced herself to be calm and urged the magic forward, a little faster than before. When she lost her hold on that wave, she sent another, then another until the gaps between her attempts became longer than a couple of minutes.

"The colour of your celestial energy is changing sometimes," came Loki's voice.

That took her by surprise, the connection snapping once more. "What do you mean?" She had a bad feeling that she knew exactly what he meant _. This shouldn't be happening,_ she thought, _I'm not holding the spear._

"Normally it's this white-blue colour but every so often it shifts to pure black. It happens so quickly, one could easily miss it."

She yanked the blindfold off her head. "I'm drained," she lied, "that's why." She searched around the room and found him settled on her sofa.

He gave her a look that told her precisely what he made of her feeble attempt at lying. He considered her for a few moments, not saying a word, then sighed. "When will you stop doing that?"

"What?" she asked, feigning confusion.

"I can practically hear you mentally telling yourself not to trust me." He stood. "Take a break. I admit that I haven't been the most truthful when we first met but I have been more than forthcoming since you came here. You, on the other hand, haven't even given me your true name." He shook his head before bitterly adding, "You tell that human more than you tell me–what more than stupid human sweets has he ever offered you?"

Loki had not guarded his tone this time, and he seemed to truly feel offended by the walls she had built around her where he was concerned. He didn't understand. The last time she had trusted someone with an agenda, Thalia's only friend paid the ultimate price for her own naïve mistake. And that betrayal had come from her own father. How could she trust anyone after the man who'd sired her ripped her heart out and smashed it with his own hands?

Yet, when Loki made a move towards the door, she found herself telling him, "My name's Thalia." That's all she was willing to concede today. Part of her knew that she would have to eventually tell him more about herself if he was to act as a mentor; he'd need the knowledge to help her with her magic. But she was still too afraid to speak certain names out loud, as if saying the words would conjure them right up.

Loki turned, his gaze searching her face. It didn't surprise her that he wondered if that name was a false one as well. He seemed to believe her though, because he gave a small nod and said, "I have to return to my chambers soon but if you want to continue after you eat, well, I'm only next door." He grinned. "Perhaps you could use that device you love so much to tell your human pet to fetch your ice-cream and come with me now."

"I'm not texting Steve to bring ice-cream," she told him, stifling a smile. "But I'm coming over after I go get it." She was glad that the tension between them disappeared.

The God of Mischief seemed content with that as he turned to leave, but hesitated at the door. "Does anyone else know your name?" he asked quietly.

"No," she told him truthfully. Thalia didn't like the smug smile that appeared on his lips when she'd answered so she added, "So I'll know who gave it up if anyone begins to call me by it."

His smile widened. "Fair enough."

As the door closed with a loud click, she noticed the blindfold still clutched in her hand. Thalia involuntarily run her fingers over the soft material, liking the silken feel. She abruptly stopped when she realized what she was doing and tugged it in her back pocket.

 _Ice cream,_ she reminded herself and pushed open the door.


	17. Chapter XVII︱ Pain

_**Chapter XVII**_ **︱** __ _ **Pain.**_

 _ **Thalia**_

Thalia woke suddenly, as if she'd suffered a very short but intense shock.

At first, she only blinked around confused at the queerly familiar, yet distant wildflower smell in the night air, but then her eyes widened when realization dawned.

She was no longer in New Asgard–in fact, she was not even on Earth. She forced herself not to panic. There was no way she could be where her mind was telling she was; the only way back to Olympus was through one of the portals and Alaska was thousands of miles away from all three of them.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light coming from the three moons that adorned the night sky. She glanced up, calming herself while taking the image in. Nights were never too dark in her father's court, lit up by countless shining stars and three luminescent moons that were much bigger than Earth's single tiny one.

Ares liked simplicity and practicality above all so his court was one of the plainest amongst the twelve, but Thalia always liked it better here than in Aphrodite's ostentatious territory. It was simple, but it was the soothing sort of simple. Small streams cut through the green valleys that lay between the mountains and hills, flowers of every colour imaginable almost glowing under the silver moonlight. It was a different story behind the mountain range that span on the western horizon, she knew. Behind those Great Mountains was the city, and in the centre of that maze of pale square buildings was her father's court.

She pushed herself to her feet using the tree next to her for support. Her mind was still hazy, trying to figure out exactly where she was and how she had gotten here.

A faint sound caught her attention, cutting through the quiet of the still night. She tilted her head in the direction she heard it from and listened. When it came again, she was certain that it was someone speaking in low tones, a young girl perhaps.

Thalia thought that she might have recognised that voice but. . . _No, it can't be_ , she told herself, _she's dead._

A different familiar female voice answered the first one and soon she could see the two girls as they emerged from the trees, walking towards the direction of the spot by the stream she stood at.

One was tall and slim, garbed in combat leathers. Her white-blonde hair shone silvery under the moonlight, her pale blue eyes glowing. In her hand, she held a long obsidian spear; blade made of black steel the same shade as the body, which was covered by delicate silver lines snaking along its length.

The second girl was shorter and more delicate. Her white dress wrapped around her frame like a robe, a flowery crown atop her mop of copper-red long curls. She was carrying a satchel on her back and another smaller one around her waist. Thalia had the sudden urge to sob at the sight of her. It's been so long since she had last allowed herself to recall Cara's face, to remember the long years they had spent together.

She was rooted at the spot, eyes glittering with unshed tears as they approached, waiting for them to notice her but neither of the two so much as glanced in her direction. They walked towards the riverbank and Thalia instinctively trailed behind, part of her knowing that this is a dream– _a memory_.

A small patch of earth near the running water was covered by a mass of blue flowers with pointy petals curving upwards towards the sky. Cara walked right up to them and crouched, inspecting the blooms but not touching.

"I told you they were here," she exclaimed at young Thalia, her light green eyes sparkling with excitement.

The other girl lowered herself on the ground nearby but didn't appear too interested. "Which ones are these again?"

Cara gave her friend a disapproving look. "Moonblades," she answered. "They only bloom once every decade, when all three moons are at their fullest at the same time."

"Right," young Thalia said, a little confused. "Do you need help gathering them?"

"No." The readhead began to carefully pick the flowers one by one before stuffing them in her satchels. "Touching the petals makes the skin numb," she explained. Cara was the most learned person she knew when it came to plants and wild creatures. "We need to dry them and then grind them into powder. A pinch of _moondust_ can put even Cerberus into a deep sleep that will last for hours."

The silver-haired girl snorted, doubtful. "Would all of his heads fall asleep if only one ate it?" she inquired.

Cara frowned at the question, considering. "I'm not certain," she finally admitted, then a playful glee entered her eyes. "Why don't we find out?"

Both laughed then and something clouded Thalia's vision. _I'm crying,_ she realized.

Once they've come, there was no stopping the tears; they trailed down her cheeks as she watched, her chest burning with longing.

She took a step forward, then another, until she was standing right next to Cara's small frame.

Once the petite female was finished with the flowers, she sat down on the grass next to her friend. "So," she began hesitantly. "Do you think Adonis will be visiting here anytime soon?" She tried to keep her tone indifferent but her infatuation with Thalia's occasional companion was so obvious it was laughable.

Thalia found herself smiling, regardless of the pain she still felt. Women were forever allured to Adonis, and he was forever more than willing to accommodate them–often more than one at the same time. He had never made a move towards her though, and neither did she. Growing up, he had been something very alike a fun young uncle to her, often teaching her little nasty spells with which she could annoy her hateful half-sisters. She wouldn't go so far as to call Adonis a friend, since she rarely saw him after Ares's claimed her and brought her to live with him in his territory, but the irreverent male has always been kind to her and for that much she was thankful.

Young Thalia gave Cara and apologetic smile. "Father despises him," she said. "I doubt Adonis would ever risk his pretty neck by stepping foot here."

The redhead's mouth fell. "Will you take me with you again, then? When you next visit your mother?"

The other girl hesitated. "Cara, you know how Adonis is," she said reluctantly, then sighed at the hurt expression on her friend's face. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Cara's smile was reflected in her green gaze. "This time, he'll notice me," she said confidently. "I'm a woman grown now."

When Thalia had last visited Aphrodite's Court, she had took her friend with her. Adonis was also up from the Underworld then and Cara had quickly began mooning over the gorgeous male. To Thalia's utter surprise, he had not responded to the invitation; in fact, he had not even acknowledged the plain flirtatious looks the stunning redhead had thrown his way. Thalia's best guess had been that Cara was still too young for his taste, barely over a hundred years old.

"He did notice you," past-Thalia insisted, but her next words was inaudible, and so was Cara's response after.

Thalia's vision flickered, then blackened for a second before it returned cloudy and moist. When it cleared, she found two glowing slit eyes watching her with absolute attention.

She sat up on the bed and clumsily found the light switch on the wall next to her. For a couple of long minutes, Thalia only stared at the black cat, who looked at her with what appeared to be curiosity and concern both.

Lady Bas walked on her lap and reached up to lick at her cheek before rubbing her forehead on it with feline affection. Thalia touched a hand to her face and realized that the tears she had shed in the dream had, if fact, been real.

She gently stroked the odd cat in thanks before pushing the blankets away and making her way to the bathroom to wash her face. But when she looked into the mirror, it was Cara's beautifully innocent face that she saw staring back at her, so full of youth and life. The tears came back then, years overdue.

Thalia had not cried over the loss of her friend after that first night when she got the news of her passing. She had not believed them at first when they told her, calling them all liars. Ares had promised that regardless of the crimes Cara's father and brothers had committed, the girl would be spared. The punishment for Warlord Aeno's offense was the absolute elimination of his line, but when Thalia had run to her father to beg for her friend's life, he had assured her that no harm would come to Cara.

He'd lied.

And now he was torturing her with reminders of his betrayal, for Thalia was certain that this dream was forced on her tonight. The only one who had a strong enough bond to her to gain entry in her mind was Ares. She had no more doubts that he had noticed her absence then. _Why?_ she wanted to scream at him, _Why must you remind me of what I lost?_

She didn't know why she turned for the door then, or what urge led her to Loki's room.

The guard gave her a small nod before putting in the code for the door to unlock. He looked like he wanted to speak to her but wasn't quite sure of what to say. She looked a mess, she imagined, but was too emotionally exhausted to care.

Loki was sprawled on his bed reading a book when she entered. He immediately looked up and grinned but the smile froze when he got a good glance at her face. He snapped the book shut and appeared right next to her. "You've been crying," he said matter-of-factly. The expression he wore was one Thalia had never glimpsed on him before; something between uncertainty and caution.

She gave a wary nod, unsure of what to say. The longer he looked at her like that, the more embarrassed she felt about her state. _"You must never show the world your tears,"_ Ares had told her once when he had found her crying _. "Female or not, you are my daughter and a warrior. What you saw tonight is the way of war and war is in your blood."_

Regretting her stupid impulse to come here, she abruptly turned and made to flee, but Loki reached out and locked his fingers around her wrist, halting her. "Stay," he said softy. "Tell me what's wrong."

He loosened his hold but didn't release her, urging her towards the seating area.

When they were both on the sofa, she looked at him with uncertainty. "Will you teach me how to form shields around my mind? Strong ones that can hold while I sleep."

She saw the question is his eyes, but he did not ask it. "I will if you tell me why you were crying."

Part of her wanted to tell him everything–to finally let all the hurt pour out. Another part of her didn't want to say a single word. Not so much because she didn't trust him, but because deep inside she was still refusing to acknowledge all that's happened, to acknowledge that she didn't lift a single finger to help Cara.

"I didn't have many friends growing up," she found herself saying. "The first fifty years of my existence especially, when I was in my mother's. . .home." The only one whose company she enjoyed was Adonis but the Prince of the Underworld only visited once a year. "Then my father came for me," she continued, "and soon after I moved to his lands, I met a girl named Cara." She somehow found herself smiling at the memory of the first time she had seen the shy girl with the red hair–who was definitely not a warrior–trying to hold a sword in the yard at her brother's insistence. She looked as out of place as Thalia felt in Ares's Court, though for different reasons. Thalia might have the abilities of what her father considers a warrior but she came to understand that she lacked the spirit. Cara. . .she belonged around alchemists and scholars, not constant conflict and bloodshed.

"Will you tell me about Cara?" she heard Loki ask, realizing that she hadn't spoken for a while.

"Her father. . .worked for my own father and so did her two older brothers." Their mother had abandoned them long ago, short after giving birth to Cara. The woman was originally from Artemis's Court and supposedly had a change of heart about leaving the dense forests about three decades after she had followed her mate. "She never really fit in our area and neither did I; perhaps that's why we got along so well. We were always together, even when I trained; Cara had never enjoyed playing with weapons but she was always willing to tag along and read a book in the shade until I was done for the day." A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips again but it trembled under the weight of the tears who fought their way out of her eyes. "I miss her so very much, Loki."

He did something she never expected him to do then: not saying a word, he leaned in and pulled her against his chest, letting her cry on his shoulder. She didn't have to tell him that her friend was long gone from this world, he seemed to have figured that out on his own.

Long moments later, when she had no more tears left to shed, Thalia self-cautiously pulled back and glanced up at Loki. Something had shifted in his gaze, in the way he was looking at her, but she didn't question the change. She liked how his arms felt around her, firm and warm and safe. So she did the only thing that made sense to her in that moment: leaned back in and let him hold her.


	18. Chapter XVIII︱Hot and cold

_**Chapter XVIII**_ **︱** _ **Hot and cold**_

Thalia did her best to avoid Loki for the following week, still embarrassed that she'd gone to him for comfort.

Crying was a foreign thing to her, seeking comfort straight up alien. What terrified her, however, was how natural it felt to let go of all her defenses and bury herself deeper in the protection of his arms. And there was also the change in the line of her thoughts after that . . . and the way he'd had stiffened around her for a second, as if he knew that she was no longer thinking of her friend, but of how easy it would be for her to tilt her head slightly upwards and touch her lips to his own. She'd wondered if he would accept the kiss or push her away. Then she'd remembered what had brought her to his chambers in the first place and the stab of guilt had been enough to sober her mind and cause her to break the eerily familiar embrace.

 _The last need you need right now is a lover,_ she told herself.

Thalia's lovers over the years after she had begun feeling sexual desire could be counted on one hand and she'd still have fingers left. Modesty wasn't the reason–such terms had no place in Aphrodite's Court, where she'd spent the first fifty years of her life.

In her father's Court, such things were treated in a tamer manner, but not by much. She'd been delighted when some of the veteran warriors attempted to court her but that childish illusion had shattered the day she was old enough to understand that all those men were ever hoping to get out of their time with her was a seat on the High Lord's table.

She was, after all, his favourite child–or used to be.

Ares had about a dozen children scattered around Olympus to the best of Thalia's knowledge, some thousands of years older than her. She had only ever met three of her full-blooded brothers and none of the half-siblings Ares had sired on other women; Eros, who remained at their mother's side; and the twins, Phobos and Deimos, who shared their father's bloodlust.

Eros was friendly with her, but always in a coldly polite manner. The twins . . . when she had first moved to their father's territory, they'd simply ignored her; in the years afterwards, they openly despised her. Thalia never really understood the reason until one of the older slave servants politely hinted at the source of their dislike, taking care not to sound insulting. "Phobos and Deimos have been by your father's side for millennia," the gentle woman had said. "But the Sire has never bestowed on them the attention he does on you, child."

Thalia had been terrified of her father at first, just over fifty years old and knowing him only from stories she'd heard from others. Terrifying stories. Until then, she wasn't even certain _who_ her father was since Aphrodite herself seemed genuinely not to know. Thalia favoured her mother in looks and celestial signature so there were no hints of her sire in her magic nor her face–not until that day after her fiftieth birthday. Her mother had only frowned when she'd found Thalia with a forgotten sword she'd snatched from the armoury, her body and the steel both emitting the dark energy that was Ares's signature when he bonded his celestial essence to his weapons. Of course the regular sword didn't survive, melting down in a matter of minutes, but the incident was enough to make her linage crystal clear.

None of Ares's other children have inherited the ability.

 _Loki doesn't want any favours from father, knows nothing of who I am_. Somehow the thought intrigued her and she found herself considering if it would truly be so bad should she explore this pull she felt towards him.

She shook her head, dismissing the idea. Sexual contact would make her vulnerable, the shields she was still learning how to build around her mind too fragile to maintain if she completely lost control as she was bound to do with this particular male.

Then there was the issue of her still needing him to instruct her on other aspects of her magic. Her survival depended on mastering her abilities and she would be a fool to wager that by complicating their already complicated relationship even further. That's what Thalia kept telling herself as she waited for Loki to come to her chambers that morning.

She's been practicing the shields on her on her own since, unlike teleportation, creating them didn't require releasing any of her energy outside her body. She's been getting much better at holding on to small waves of her energy and moving them in the space around her too. Perhaps Loki had somehow noticed the improvements, even if she's been avoiding him like the plague, and that's why he'd asked to observe her today; possibly to see if it was time to teach her the next part.

"How are you doing with the shields?" was the first thing he asked when he entered.

"They are still weak but they'll do." At least now she would feel the tug if Ares attempted to connect to her again and thus become alert to actively fight the bond. "Thank you for explaining it to me, and for . . . for not . . ."

". . . asking questions?" Loki laughed, a glint in his eyes. "I'm afraid a simple thank you is not going to cut it, pet."

Thalia's mouth tightened. He's been doing this since he brought her to this place–carefully choosing his words, his tone and his proximity to get a reaction out of her, to what end she didn't know. It was always just words, never an attempt to actually act on them. She should've been used to it by now, immune to it even. Except . . . instead of becoming indifferent, she found herself struggling not to let her annoyance at his stupid game and her reaction both show plain on her face.

"You did not ask for anything in return at the time," she flatly pointed out, all traces of gratitude absent from her voice.

A small incline of his head. "Indeed, I did not." That half smile again. "But I gave you knowledge–which you seemed to need desperately at the time, if I might add–and so I ask for knowledge in return. Fair, don't you think?"

Thalia's eyes narrowed. "What sort of knowledge?"

Loki seemed surprised for a second. "Are you not going to fight me over it? Me not telling you beforehand and all that?"

"Depends," she answered honestly. "What do you want to know?"

Loki considered it for a second. Opened his mouth, then closed it. "I want you to tell me a secret."

Thalia stared at him, fighting the urge to laugh. "A secret?"

"Something important about you, something that matters."

"You are the only one who knows my real name," she reminded him.

"Your energy, what's the darkness in it?" he asked bluntly.

Oh, so that's what he really wanted to know. Well as it happens, Thalia had a similar question of her own. "Why does your skin sometimes appear blue?" At first, she'd thought her eyes were playing games with her when it happened in her old house. She caught a few more glimpses of it in the past couple of days, however.

Loki looked startled. "What?" he blurted out.

"Your skin changed colour," Thalia repeated. "I first saw it when you were unconscious in my house, but then it happened again here."

He did not speak.

A moment passed, then another. Thalia was certain he would ignore her when he finally said, "When?"

"Past couple of days, for only a second or two, no more." Just as she said the words, his skin colour shifted to a pale blue, faint patterns on his forehead and neck, disappearing under the collar of his leather bodysuit. This time though . . . she was close enough to glimpse his eyes, the normally sea-green colour replaced by a blood-red that seemed to leak out of his irises into the white until it covered it completely.

Compelled by the perplexity of the lines on his skin, she instinctively raised a hand to trace one but the change was gone as fast as it came.

Loki's gaze followed her arm as it lowered back to her side, then lifted to find her own. "What were you going to do just now?"

Thalia's cheeks flushed. "It just happened again," she admitted, not knowing what else to tell him.

His brows drew together as he searched her face. "You didn't answer my question." His eyes widened before his expression twisted in sudden anger. "You were going to touch me," he growled. Even though his eyes were their usual familiar colour, Thalia feared what she saw reflected in them in that moment. "Never do that again, Thalia, do you understand? Never touch me when I turn into _that_."

She was shocked speechless. His abrupt anger and the rage with which he said that last word caused her to take an instinctive step back.

That seemed to upset him even further.

"Damn him," he cursed and turned for the door. "Even in death he still bloody found a way to torment me, of course he did."

He left her to stare at the door for long minutes after he'd disappeared with those words, trying to comprehend what just happened.

His reaction might have been harsh but Loki's outrage was not directed at her, not truly. That much was plain. With that in mind, she made to leave her chambers and search for him when she heard the voice.

" _Your mother would be devastated to see you running after a man–particularly that man."_

Everything stilled; her body, her mind, the very air that surrounded her.

Thalia took a deep breath and turned to find Lady Bas licking one of her paws while watching her with eyes that were no longer golden yellow but a crimson so dark, it was almost black.

" _Hello, sweetheart."_ The voice was silent, only in her head. _"Did you miss me?"_

The familiarity and gentleness in his tone pulled her out of her haze, soothing her fear.

Thalia smiled at the cat that was not truly a cat. "Adonis."


	19. Chapter XIX︱The Dark Prince's warning

**_Chapter XIX_** **︱** ** _The Dark Prince's warning_**

"How can you be here?" was the first thing she asked him. Thalia knew very well that while Adonis might be one of the most learned people she's ever met when it came to sorcery, not even he could disable Zeus's seals on the portals. There was only one way to bypass that spell and he did not have the requirements.

Lady Bas settled down on the sheets, her eyes returning to their usual golden colour. _"I am not,"_ she heard Adonis's deep voice in her head. _"Little kitten here is sweet enough to allow me to see through her eyes."_

"Adonis … is that a hellcat on my bed?" Her eyes widened. "I sleep with her in the room! _By Zeus, I_ _sleep with her in the room!_ "

 _"Oh, don't be so dramatic, love. My beautiful baby would never hurt a fly, and besides, she's wearing glamour as you've surely noticed."_

She stared at the creature, aghast. "How did you find me anyway?"

Thalia could've sworn that she felt the Prince of the Underworld's smile brush against her mind. _"Nevermind how I found you, or better, how Lady Bas found you–love the name, by the way."_ This time, she heard his chuckle's echo along with his words, but the laughter abruptly died, a slight alarm in his tone when he added, _"I need you to stay the hell away from Loki, Thalia–even better, leave this place. The cat can help you."_

She always appreciated Adonis's care for her, but Thalia was no longer a child. He was not the first person to warn her about Loki and she had no doubts that most of the warnings came from a good place but ... Loki helped her–comforted her when she needed it and unknowingly shielded her against Ares. "He is not so bad," she argued. "I know he seems that way sometimes, but he's been teaching me so many things, Adonis. And to him, sorcery comes as naturally as breathing."

The cat suddenly jumped off the bed, its gaze reflecting its master's feelings. _"Yes, he's been useful,"_ Adonis bitterly admitted. _"That's the only reason I have not intervened sooner, but sweetheart, he is dangerous."_

She sighed. "Why would he hurt me? I'm not stupid, I know he will eventually ask for something in return for his assistance but how bad could it be?" Surely not worse than her father eventually finding her because she accidentally left traces of her magic behind. "It's not like I made a blood-bargain with him."

The cat growled at her. _"Don't you ever joke about that–and don't you ever consider making a blood-bargain with him."_

She nodded, assuring herself that this particular hellcat would never hurt her, not so long as Adonis controlled it. "Relax, I've seen what happens when one breaks a blood-bargain." Soul-deep eternal pain that can only be ended by the cheated party. "How did my father take my absence?" she asked, changing the subject.

 _"He was so very charming this morning when he burst into Hades's Hall of a Thousand Candles and demanded to know if you were with me_." His grin's warmth against her mind again. _"Hades was beside himself with fury. For a second, I thought that he might do us all a favour and cut Ares down right then and there."_

"Adonis!" she gasped. Hades was one of the few in Olympus who had enough power to cause true death to someone as strong as her father. Regardless of the hurt he'd inflicted, she'd never wish that for him.

 _"Anyway,"_ he continued, _"back to the important matter at hand. Loki might not end up stabbing you in the back, Thalia, but he is still dangerous–his kind is dangerous."_

She frowned. Asgardians were a well-regarded race as far as she knew. So what the hell was Adonis taking about? She didn't get a chance to ask him what he meant, however.

 _"I need to go,"_ he said suddenly. _"Persephone is calling for me and I'd rather she doesn't find out about this. Knowing her, she'd probably try to get in the middle of it and Ares is not likely to care that she the Queen of the Underworld."_ The feline rubbed against her leg. _"I'm truly sorry about Cara,"_ was the last thing he said before Lady Bas slowly blinked as if coming out of a great slumber. There wasn't only regret in his tone as he said her friend's name, there was also a heavy sadness that made no sense considering that it was Adonis speaking; he'd only seen the girl once and didn't so much as say a single word to her as far as Thalia remembered.

She let out a deep breath and fought against the memories threatening to overwhelm her. She still needed to check on Loki, so Thalia found herself knocking on his door within the next minute.

After a long moment of silence, she knocked again but he didn't seem to be inside–or chose to ignore her; it was still daylight so there was no guard outside for her to ask if Loki returned to his chambers after he'd left hers.

She was about to turn back for her room when she heard shouts coming from outside, noticing that the outer door was slightly open. She quickly strode down the corridor, then softly pushed the door, giving a wary glance through the gap before walking out. The noise had died but she spotted the backs of Thor and Valkyrie as they retreated, flanked by two Asgardian guardsmen. A group of humans were gazing after them wearing uncomfortable expressions on their faces. All but one. She didn't think that a person as sweet as Steve could look scary, but judging from the look in his eyes and the way his hands were fisted, he was truly and utterly pissed at the King of Asgard.

When his gaze finally left Thor, he spotted her staring and his eyes slightly softened. The anger didn't retreat, though.

He unclenched his fists and made his way to her, rubbing at his forehead.

"What did Thor do to make you this homicidal?" she asked when he reached her, adding a little humour to her tone in an attempt to ease the tension.

He shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he was about to tell her. "Thor just declared that Loki is from now on going to be staying in the palace, completely disregarding the government and S.H.E.I.L.D. both. I don't know what demon possessed him but this won't stand– I'll personally see that it doesn't."

"Loki won't be locked in anymore?" she asked a little too quickly.

Steve did not appreciate her concern for the God of Mischief. "I thought that you didn't care about him."

She didn't budge under his frosty gaze. "I never said that I don't care; I said that your conflict doesn't concern me." Loki was the one subject that never came up with Steve. It was as if they had an unspoken agreement not to discuss him after that first night.

"Dozens of people are dead because of him," he said accusingly, "yet, you defend him."

There was something very similar to disappointment in his tone and for a moment, she felt her chest tighten with guilt. Then, she remembered how Loki had allowed her to silently cry in his arms, how he listened as she spoke about Cara. "I'm very sorry the humans have suffered in New York, but Thor is his brother and you can surely underst–"

"This isn't about Thor," he said over her, "and Loki isn't even really his brother. He's adopted, or something like that. I don't care. What I do care about, Thea, is that people died because of him– _my_ people died because of him." He regarded her silently for a moment before adding, "You look so … human, I forget that you are not. I forget how more similar your kind is to his than–" He stopped himself, letting out a deep sigh.

If by "your kind," he meant able to ruthlessly cause the death of dozens in the matter of a few days, then he didn't know how right he was. Images of the last time she gave into the spear's urges flashed before her eyes, her vision filling with the deep crimson colour that had then coated her hands, and leathers, and hair–

She blinked out of the nightmare, focusing on what Steve had said about Loki not being Thor's brother. "Is Odin not Loki's real father, then?"

Steve shook his head. "No, but enough about him. Because of what Thor is doing, I'm going to have to go away for a while," he informed her. "I'll miss your company. You still haven't explained to me how a person as slim as you can eat so much ice cream and remain in shape."

She smiled at his comment. Unfortunately, to talk about how much fuel her body needed to produce celestial energy would be to confess about her lessons. She trusted the human in front of her, but she did not trust the others. And Steve obviously did not get along with Loki. She doubted he would approve of her practising magic under his watchful eye. "Why do you have to leave?" she inquired.

"Thor's defiance towards the government will cause problems for everyone. I truly do not understand what is making him act this way all of a sudden. Only S.H.I.E.L.D. approved employees have been allowed inside New Asgard so far other than the initial visit after they've finished building, but I'm afraid that is about to change. They will surely send someone to speak with him after what just happened and I would rather they don't see me here. Natasha and Bruce are likely going to leave soon too, what do you say we have one last ice cream movie night later tonight?"

She nodded, "I'll see you tonight then."

Thalia waited for him to leave before turning to walk back inside, noticing that the hellcat had followed her out and was watching the human male's retreating form with curious feline eyes.

In truth, hellcats are very alike cougars in shape, but that's where their similarities ended. In their true form, Hades's pets are covered by black silken fur and have blood-red eyes. Their behaviour is actually not that different than a typical human cat ... except when they are carrying out a task for their master. Incredibly intelligent animals in a creepy sort of way–often using that intelligence to torment their prey before they kill it. She wondered if Adonis was still looking or if the creature was simply gathering information for her master.

"I'm sorry but you can't come with," she told Lady Bas and picked her up to carry her back to their room before making her way to the palace to find out what was really going on with Loki.


	20. Chapter XX ︱ Touch me

_**Chapter XX**_ **︱** _ **Touch me.**_

 ** _Loki_**

"You truly did it, brother," Loki drawled from his spot by the enormous arched window that overlooked the yard. "Finally told the humans to stick it." He patted Thor's back for good measure.

"Loki, this is serious–you know it is." Thor gave a wary glance at the hand that touched him.

"Should I start wearing gloves then?" He let his annoyance show in his voice. "When the spell finally fails, I can keep the changes concealed behind an illusion. Don't worry brother; no one will see the monster." Except for her. She'd already seen it, multiple times … and she didn't flinch. Which means she's never met a frost giant before, else she wouldn't have been foolish enough to try to touch him.

"Do you really think I care what colour skin you wear? This about your abilities as a frost giant, not the aesthetics." Thor paced the length of the royal chamber, frowning. "You managed to save some of the old books. Are you sure there is nothing in there about the spell father used?"

Loki sighed. "For the hundredth time: There is nothing in those books. The old man kept all his secrets in the treasure room, so the grimoires containing those spells no longer exist, I'm afraid."

Thor stopped pacing, running his gaze up and down Loki's body.

"Are you flirting with me, brother?" Loki took Thalia's appearance, complete with the cute little skirt-uniform she was wearing that day when he found her in the city. "Might as well give you something better to look at."

Thor actually laughed. "I don't lust after infants."

Loki gave him a "really?" look.

"Humans mature at eighteen," his brother instantly said defensively, "It's different. Thea hit maturity ten years ago, which would make her … about twenty in human years–if even that."

"You know it doesn't work that way for races like hers," Loki countered after he dropped the illusion. "The line is mostly for her magic to fully develop; the body comes into full maturity long before that."

Thor was about to argue again, then shook his head. "Stop trying to take the conversation away from the important matter. Can you feel it? The change?"

Loki considered lying to him but thought better of it. The final result is inevitable, regardless of how long he keeps the signs hidden. "Sometimes," he admitted. "I didn't see it for what it was until today, but I can sense my blood cooling sometimes–only for a few seconds before it goes back to normal."

"Do you think you'll be able to control it, Loki? The frost?" Thor asked, which could very well be translated to: _Are you going to start to accidentally–or not–drop people dead with your touch when the change fully takes over?_

"How the hell would I know?" Loki snapped. "Odin locked my whole nature away with that stupid spell, not just my true form." He let out a frustrated growl. "But I should be able to. Frost giants breed with other races so they can disable the ability, I imagine. Otherwise, the females would freeze to death before they even had time to fully stick their–"

"Can we just give him back to them?"

Loki turned to find Val by the marble staircase, arms crossed and her usual bored expression across her face. "Perhaps I could murder you and then use your form to go around," he told her with venomous sweetness. "And tell the humans I disappeared."

"Your girlfriend's here," she said in answer to his perfectly good plan. "Wants to see you."

Loki rolled his eyes but didn't grace her with a reply.

Just as he was about to make his way to Thalia, he felt the area he was touching on the railing cool. He glanced down to find his hand shifting to a pale shade of blue–the same as his face surely did. He quickly concealed the changes under an illusion, but the thin layer of ice that began forming on the marble under his fingers didn't retreat, expanding and thickening. He tried to will it to stop, but nothing happened.

He pulled his hand away and waited to feel the frost retreat. A second passed. And another. And another. It was almost a full minute before he felt his body return to his normal state.

Thor and Val were both staring at the ice covering the window railing, then simultaneously glanced up at him.

"Tell her I'll go to her later," he grit out and made to leave the room.

Thor's eye widened. "You shouldn't go outside the palace. The humans might see–"

"They won't!" he snapped back at him.

"If one of them touches you–"

"–then he'll deserve what he gets."

"What if _she_ touches you?" Val asked, making him stop dead in his tracks. "What do you do when you lock yourselves in her chambers, anyway?"

"She won't," was all the answer he gave the annoying female, but he would take gloves with him just in case. The Valkyrie didn't need to know that, however.

Pausing at the door, he looked at Thor. "Still think that everything is going to work out fine, brother?" He walked out, not waiting for a reply.

"Yes," Thor called after him. "Just don't make it worse than it already is." He raised his voice. "I'll find a way, Loki, I promise."

He shut him out. There was nothing Thor could do about this. He needed to find a way to make Thalia assist him in leaving Earth, and soon.

But for now, he had to go over the books that survived Ragnarok due to being in his private stash in the void and not where they were supposed to be once more–not that there was much hope he'd missed something the first time around.

By the time he finished the pointless reading, it was well after dark. So thankfully he wasn't likely to encounter many humans on his way to Thalia's room. He changed his form into that of an Asgardian royal guard anyway, just in case.

To his further annoyance, her new human best friend was leaving her chambers just as Loki was walking down the cave corridor.

No one else occupied the rooms in this part of the mountain so he was forced to continue walking toward her door, giving the other man an acknowledging nod that made his neck hurt.

Captain tight-pants seemed perplexed that an Asgardian royal guard would seek Thalia out so late in the night but didn't question him as he stepped past him and knocked.

He smiled at Thalia warmly when she opened, making sure the idiot noticed, and slightly angled his head to hide his eyes from the human's gaze before letting them shift back to their usual colour.

Thalia's own eyes instantly widened in understanding before she stepped aside, letting him in. For strange reasons he didn't care to explore, It pleased him that she could so easily recognize the colour of his eyes.

Loki let the rest of the illusion drop when she shut the door behind him. "You wanted to see me?" he asked her, even though what he really wanted to know was what the human was doing in her room so late at night.

"Yes," she said. "I wanted to see if you were alright."

"Define alright," he mumbled.

"Loki … " She took a step toward him and he instinctively flinched back, afraid that Odin's spell would fail any second now.

Thalia seemed surprised by his reaction, surprised and hurt both. "I see," she said, her gaze going past him. "Well, you can go, then. That was all."

"No," he blurted out, wanting to punch himself for putting that expression on her face. "We didn't practice earlier; let's do it now."

She frowned at him. "Now?"

"Yes, now," he repeated, conjuring the green blindfold that once again caused a slight blush to redden her cheeks. "Come on, show me what you learned on your own." He pointed at the empty ice cream container on the small table by the sofa. "You've obviously just fueled up." He couldn't help the bite to his tone as he noticed the two spoons. _Jealous,_ that part of him he was getting so good at ignoring taunted, _you are angry because you are jealous._

Her eyes narrowed as she searched his face, then anger flashed in her eyes. "Unbelievable," she mumbled and snatched the blindfold from his hands, shaking her head.

He waited for her to put it on before silently walking to the sofa while she searched for him with her magic. She was getting much better at maintaining her grip on her energy, but she still lost it a few times, letting out frustrated little breaths that made him want to chuckle. He swallowed his laughter, though–he didn't want her spotting him by using sound.

It was about an hour before a small wave of her energy stroked softly against his knee, her surprise at finding him almost causing her to lose her connection with it. She let it hover in place for a while, then hesitantly moved it around him, feeling the space.

"You are sitting on the sofa," she announced. "What now?"

Loki gave her a few claps of congratulations. "Good girl. Now, try to tug on that bond you have with your energy here; try to connect it to your physical body."

"What? How am I supposed to do that?" she complained even as he could see her energy shifting from her instinctive attempt to pull toward it. "Nothing is happ–oh, I see what you mean now." She grit her teeth as the celestial wave hovering next to him went completely still in the air, Thalia's body flickering in and out of physical form.

A blink later, she was no longer in the middle of the spacious room. She wasn't on the spot next to him where her energy had been either. One hand on either of his shoulders, Thalia steadied herself as she appeared on his lap, straddling his thighs.

"You did it," he managed, fighting the urge to grip her hips and pull her closer against him. Instead, he gently untied the green silk around her head.

She nodded, gaze clouded with shock, but made no move to climb off him.

Against his better judgment, he let his hands rest on her waist. "Your body is going to take some time getting used to it," he explained. "The dizziness is going to pass soon."

Another nod, then she glanced at his hands on her sweater, noticing the gloves.

Thalia's brows furrowed. "Why are you wearing gl–"

Before she even finished her question, Loki sensed the shift in his anatomy deep in his gut and pushed her off him so quickly, the poor girl ended up hitting the floor with a thud that made him inwardly wince.

She made no move to rise, or do anything other than watch him with wide eyes, expression part anger, part confusion.

He cursed and teleported to the door, wasting the little energy he had left inside him.

"Oh, no you don't," Thalia hissed, and send a wave of magic to blast against the door, pushing it back closed. "You don't get to just fucking leave." She rose to her feet. "You are blue again, by the way, but that has something to do with the way you so graciously deposited my ass on the floor, I suppose."

He immediately hid it behind an illusion. He wondered if the spell finally completely faded when he didn't feel himself change back after a few seconds, but it seemed to still have a few flickers of powering clinging to it, renewing. Part of him wanted it just to run out and be done with it.

 _"Loki,"_ Thalia pressed, unsatisfied with his silence. "You wanted me to tell you a secret, right?" She took a testing step toward him. "A secret for a secret."

"I'm not Asgardian," he said simply. "I'm a frost giant."

She frowned, as he expected she would, but mumbled, "You don't look like a giant."

Loki found himself smiling a little, despite himself. "That's beside the point. Frost giants' touch is cold enough to cause lethal damage, even to beings as strong as you and I–Well, not to _me_ but you know what I mean."

Thalia blinked at him a few times. "That's why you're wearing gloves and sent me crushing to the floor? You were afraid that you were going to hurt me with your … coldness?"

He gave a small nod. "I don't have control over the ability yet. It appears that we both need to train."

To his utter astonishment, Thalia began to laugh; a sweet amused laugh that both intrigued him and annoyed him in equal measures. "Care to share the joke?"

"No joke," she said apologetically, "It's just … Loki, the cold can't hurt me. Remember how indifferent I was the day you found me? I can shield myself against it completely."

Loki gaped at her. "I assumed you had a higher tolerance than humans, as Asgardians do, but absolute immunity?" He shook his head. "If Olympians were immune to the cold, I think I would've heard about it. Even if it doesn't kill you, at the very least, it's going to cause unbearable pain."

"Olympians as a race are, indeed, not immune to the cold," she allowed, "but those of us whose souls are wrapped in celestial energy are." She took a step back, considering, then slightly nodded to herself as if coming to an internal decision. Her swallow was audible as she closed her eyes. "The last time I attempted this was about a decade ago," she murmured.

Loki frowned as he curiously watched in wait.

She remained that way for a few long moments, still and silent, then he caught a flicker of swirling light under the long sleeves of her loose V-neck sweater.

He glanced at the visible skin on her chest, which also seemed to begin to glow lightly, then higher at her neck, and finally her face.

Her eyes were open now, their pale blue colour replaced by a liquid silver that was as beautiful as is it was daunting.

Thalia reached up to undo the loose knot on top of her head, letting her hair tumble down her shoulders. Their blonde colour was usually a light shade close to white, but now … now it was pure silver, emitting that same faint glow as her body.

His gaze went to her arm again as that same swirling light reappeared under the fabric, a much more intense gleam there. Another gleam on the other arm, and on both sides of her lower abdomen.

Loki carefully approached her, curious about what the fabric was concealing on the skin below. He slowly grasped the hem of her sweater with both hands, giving her a chance to stop him, but hoping she wouldn't.

She didn't.

Ignoring the part of his mind that whispered that curiosity about the markings wasn't the only reason he wanted to strip her naked, he slowly pulled the sweater upwards, Thalia raising her hands to assist him in removing it from her body.

It took all his effort not look at her breasts that were thankfully covered by a black lacy bra. He took a step back, surveying her arms and abdomen.

The strong light was, in fact, a ring of energy, wrapping twice around her upper arms. Both sides of her abdomen were covered by tribal markings that were also emitting that same white-blue glow. A few of the lines trailed down her hips, disappearing under her leggings. He took his time studying them, following every marking with his gaze.

He met her eyes again, glimpsing hesitation there, but also something else–something that caused him to pull off the stupid gloves and raise his hands to brush his thumbs over those glowing lines on her abdomen, trailing them slowly. "Are you absolutely certain that the frost can't hurt you?" he asked one last time before allowing himself to give in to his urges–urges he was tired of fighting.

Ironically, she shivered, but said, "Yes, I'm certain. I've been to places so cold, a mortal's heart would freeze dead in a heartbeat." Her words came out husky, chest rising and falling with her shallow breaths.

"Good," he murmured, snaking one arm behind her to find the clasp of her bra just as his mouth came abruptly down on her own.


	21. Chapter XXI︱Fallen defences

**A/N:** This chapter contains sexual content so if you wish to avoid it, start reading at the paragraph that starts with **bold** text and skip the first part.

* * *

 _ **Chapter XXI**_ **︱** _ **Fallen defences.**_

 _ **Thalia**_

Thalia went utterly still in his arms, initially not being able to return the kiss.

Then he lightly bit down on her lip, and all hell broke loose in her body.

It's been so long since she had last felt a man's touch on her skin. She had dared to take a couple of humans in her bed when she had first arrived on this planet, but she had soon realised that those encounters were pointless, never truly satisfying the hunger. Human bodies are so breakable, so annoyingly fragile–Thalia always being painfully aware of how easily she could accidentally dislocate a shoulder or break a bone.

Loki though … Loki was a God in his own right.

She allowed him to peel the bra off her body and kissed him back, locking her arms around his neck as his hands came to cup her ass and effortlessly lift her off the ground. When she felt the smooth wall against the bare skin of her back, her legs instinctively came to wrap around Loki's waist.

He broke the kiss, lowering his lips to her jawline, her pulse. He lingered there, leaving feather touches with his mouth, lightly scraping the skin with his teeth.

Thalia moaned, arching her back, and Loki wasted no time in bringing a hand between them to close it over one breast as she did.

She wanted to touch him too–to feel his skin under her own hands–but he was still fully clothed, from top to bottom. "Loki," she complained, tugging at the collar of his leathers. "How does this even get off?"

He chuckled, the hand he had clamped around her breast giving a small squeeze before he leaned back, waving that same hand into the air.

The top part of his bodysuit was gone the next second, leaving him in dark leather trousers. "Better?"

Adonis's warning flashed through her mind when their eyes locked, a reminder that the motivations of the male in front of her weren't always what they seemed.

Loki made to take her mouth again but stopped midway, searching her face. "Change of heart?"

"What do you want from me, Loki?" she found herself asking.

A ghost of a smile. "Right now?" His hands fell lower, stopping at the back her thighs. "I want inside you," he said bluntly, pressing her harder against the wall.

His admission and the raw sensuality in his tone had her stifling a moan, suddenly painfully empty between her thighs. She forced herself to sober up enough to ask, "And later?"

"That's a conversation for a different time, don't you think?"

 _Yes,_ she wanted to say, but a part of her was still too mistrustful. Perhaps not towards Loki specifically, but towards everyone since having her heart broken by her father's false promise. "If this is an attempt to make me more suscept–"

He suddenly shifted his hold on her, letting her drop lower to angle their groins against each other. "Does this feel like an attempt at anything other than the obvious?" He rocked his hips, emphasising his point.

"No," she breathed after the moan she couldn't keep in at the friction, feeling his own need through the layers of clothing that still separated them, "but, whatever it is that you are hoping to get from me, Loki, this won't make me give it to you."

His smile held an edge of something she couldn't recognise. "As you say, pet. Now, are you finished talking?"

He didn't wait for her answer, dipping his head and taking her lips in a kiss that was rougher than the first one.

All her worries evaporated like the morning mist. It might be a foolish thing to give into this eerie pull she felt towards this man she could barely understand, but that was something to worry about at a later time. For now, she would listen to her body and take what he was willing to give. Thalia opened her mouth for him, letting his tongue tangle with her own.

His fingers crept between them to slide underneath the waistband of her leggings and brush over the damp fabric of her panties. "So wet already," he groaned, pulling back to take her in, "and I've hardly touched you."

Thalia was suddenly acutely aware of his eyes as they lingered on her lips; swollen by his kisses, her breasts; the rosy peaks standing to attention from rubbing against his chest, and finally, where his hand disappeared inside her leggings.

Two of Loki's fingers easily hooked under the fabric of her panties, abruptly pushing inside her just as his head bowed again, to take a taut nipple into his mouth.

"Gods," Thalia cried, thrusting both her hands through his hair. She used the little control she had left to will her celestial form to retreat, not trusting so much energy flowing through her body while he was touching her like this.

Both his mouth and his fingers suddenly withdrew, Thalia letting out a little sound of protest at the loss.

"I rather liked those silver eyes," he told her. "Had plans involving looking down in them while that pretty mouth of yours is wrapped around my cock."

She moaned at the image he created, urging the hand he still had inside her leggings to resume its exploring with her own.

He didn't budge.

Thalia tried a different tactic. Partially shifting back to her Celestial form, moonlight silver reflected in her eyes, she taunted, "Yeah?" She rocked her hips. "Not likely to happen anytime soon if you continue with these games."

The lust in his gaze added to her own. "Consider the games officially stopped."

In a few hurried movements, Loki pulled her off the wall and carried her to the bed. Somewhere between his urgent kisses and clever caresses, Loki rid them both of their remaining clothing but left her panties on.

"Take them off," he ordered, sitting back to give her space to do so.

Thalia's first instinct was to glare at him, viewing it as another attempt to amuse himself, but when their eyes locked, she saw it for what it really was.

A test.

So far, she's responded to his touch, welcomed it, but a part of her was still hesitant–wary. Loki seemed to have noticed that reluctance and have mistaken it for indecision. That part of her had nothing to do with him, however.

"I want you," she said, answering his unspoken question with words instead. It was the truth. She'd wanted him since the moment she'd laid eyes on him if she was being honest with her self. Except … What had started as a harmless attraction to an alluring male may have evolved into something she was not yet ready to acknowledge.

She lost the panties in the next instant, and then he was settling between her thighs, pushing them further apart with his knee. "We'll get back to my fantasies later," he said, nudging against her entrance.

A newfound sense of anticipation flooded through her, causing her pulse to quicken. "Yes," she helplessly agreed, "later." Tightening her legs around his waist to bring him closer, she urged, "Please, it's been so long."

If it was even possible, the desire in his eyes grew wilder, most of their beautiful sea-green colour concealed by dark dilated pupils. She didn't have the time to appreciate the unguarded passion across his face though, Loki burying himself to the hilt in one hard thrust.

Thalia gasped at the fullness, a slight initial sting at the invasion as her body accommodated his considerable length.

"Did I hurt you?" Loki asked, stilling on top of her.

"No." She glanced down at the spot where they were joined. "But you will if you don't start moving soon."

"Oh, I'll move, pet." He slid out of her in an unhurried movement before slowly pushing back in. "Don't you worry about that."

She was too far gone for more words, or for even processing her own thoughts for that matter. At that moment, the only thing that existed–that mattered–was Loki and all he made her feel with his body.

She forgot about the problems she had left behind on her home planet. Her father, her pain, the blood, the slaughter; it all became smoke.

He quickened his pace, and she clung to that feeling, the simmering burn between her legs that became hotter with each of his thrusts.

Loki grabbed her thighs and lifted her legs off the mattress, angling her so he could plunge deeper with each shove of his hips.

Thalia didn't know if it was the wildness of his movements or the way his pelvis rubbed against her own each time he fully sheathed himself in her wetness that sent her over the edge, but whatever it was, she wanted more of it. Moaning his name, she arched her back, a million stars clouding her vision as her orgasm washed over her. It didn't take long for him to follow her, Loki going motionless above her before spilling himself inside her with a deep guttural groan.

When she came back to her senses, he was still braced above her, his chest heaving and his eyes watching her with such intensity, she couldn't help but shift her gaze.

He pulled himself out of her and settled on the sheets next to her. Turning her to face him, he gathered her in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke or moved for a while, but the silence wasn't at all uncomfortable. She felt content with his body wrapped around her own–scarily so.

 **She must've drifted into sleep soon after for she found herself in a different world** when she snapped open her eyes. Her body and mind were exhausted from her lessons and what had followed both so it took her a second to realise where she was.

Her gaze adjusted to the darkness of the room–her room in her father's palace–and she spotted a younger version of herself sitting on the floor by the east window, knees pulled up to her chest and head buried between them.

At first, she couldn't recall this memory and for a second she dared to hope that it was just a normal dream … but then the door abruptly opened.

"You left training," Ares stated coldly. "I do not recall giving you leave to retire to your rooms, daughter."

Her father scared her most of the time, even though he had never actually hurt her. But that was because she had always done as he said, never questioning his orders. Today …

"I don't want to train anymore," she said stubbornly. "I hate it!"

She thought he was going to rage at her, or even hit her, but Ares didn't so much as raise his voice.

"I know," he said softly, crouching down next to her. "But there is no choice in this, I'm afraid."

Startled at his response, she glanced up into his eyes. Her father's eyes were beautiful when he wasn't glaring at people. Their golden brown depths held an emotion very alike affection then but she refused to accept it. It made no sense. Ares was not capable of affection.

Noticing her confusion, he let out a deep sigh. "You might be the only good thing I've created in all my existence," he said absently. "But you carry my power inside you, Thalia, whether you want it or not. Power enough to level whole cities with one stroke should you prove unable to control it." His expression shifted, the fatherly concern leaving from his gaze, and Thalia knew that she was no longer talking to her father, but to Ares, God of War. "You need to master that part of your magic and the only way to do that is to wield it."

"I don't want it!" she pleaded again. "Please, father … It does something to me … it … makes the world quiet."

"That's another thing you'll have to learn how to control," he said unyieldingly before getting back up and turning for the door to put an end to the discussion.

Even a hundred years later, the affection she'd sensed from him that day still perplexed her. She could never understand him, not then and not now.

Just as Ares reached the door, he stopped and turned again. Not to the younger version of herself still curled by the wall, but to _her_.

Her heart might have skipped a couple of beats as their eyes locked and she realised that he could see her–that he was really there.

The rest of the room blurred around her, turning into vague shapes and shifting colours until there were only him and her standing alone in what once had been her bedroom.

All her instincts game alive, urging her to flee. She tried to, tried so hard to wake up–to escape this magical prison–but Ares's hold on her subconscious was too strong.

" _Thalia."_ A small tug against her senses. _"Thalia, wake up."_

Loki's voice snapping her out of her petrified state, she helplessly tried again.

Then she realised that she was completely naked, just as she was when she fell asleep, and froze.

"I can feel him trying to wake you, you know," Ares said, not even acknowledging her state of undress before flicking a hand in her direction to magically dress her in a simple white gown.

She bowed her head ever so slightly. "Father," she greeted, attempting to take the conversation away from Loki.

It didn't work.

"I had hoped," he said with chilling coldness, "that even though you've spent a good amount of your youth with your mother, her ways did not rub off on you."

She glared at him. "Who I bring into my bed is none of your damn business, _father_." She tried to force herself awake again, and inevitably failed. "Let me go," she demanded, as much defiance as she dared in her voice.

Unsurprisingly, he didn't even recognise her demand. "Is it her whore, I wonder?" She almost flinched at the rage she glimpsed in his eyes. "Did that abomination finally seduce you?"

"Adonis has nothing to do with this!" Her hands fisted. "Y-you … You p-promised!" She tried to keep her composure, knowing that tears would only serve to worsen the situation. "You swore to me! You swore that you would keep her safe!"

"Where are you, Thalia?" he asked once more, no hint of remorse in his tone. "We'll talk about the girl when you come home."

"The girl? _The girl?_ " For the first time in her life, Thalia wondered if she would ever be strong enough to kill her father. "Her name was _Cara_!"

He must've glimpsed the death promise on her face because his lips slightly curled, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Come home, and I will allow you to try once before I punish you for this unnecessary charade."

"And what punishment would that be exactly?" She concealed the fear that washed over her at the promise in his tone under layers of unflinching defiance.

That seemed to amuse him even further. "The longer you defy me, the worse it will be," he said evenly. "I will not ask again, daughter. _Where. Are. You?_ "

She swallowed. There was no way she was telling him where she was. In the mood he was in, she couldn't guarantee that he would leave this place standing after retrieving her, even if she tugged her tail between her legs and obeyed. She had to get out of this dream. Now.

" _Thalia,"_ she heard Loki's voice faintly calling to her once more. She focused on that voice, on Loki.

Perhaps it was the subconscious knowledge that Ares could not truly hurt her for so long as she remained physically worlds away from his grasp that gave her the courage to gather her power and tug against the invincible bonds that kept her prisoner in this dream. Perhaps it was only fear.

" _You …"_ Black energy began dancing around her fingers, licking up her arms. _"Cannot ..."_ Delicate black steel, emitting that same energy appearing in one hand. _"Hold me here!"_ She became one with the spear, feeding it her power for it to return it to her hotter, stronger, a thousand times more violent. She was terrified of how it good it felt, the sense that she could cause so much damage with a single slash of that onyx blade. Yet, she allowed the magic inside, allowed it to whisper against her skin, her senses, before sending it outwards in a hard blast, shattering the bonds and the dream both into tiny pieces.

She awoke sweating and panting but feeling eerily calm considering she just came face to face with the person she feared the most in the world.

The first thing she noticed was the disquiet in Loki's eyes.

The second was the spear still clutched in her hand.


	22. Chapter XXII︱Rock and hard place

_**Chapter XXII**_ **︱** _ **Rock and hard place.**_

"This is not the reaction I've expected," Loki said jokingly, but sounding uncertain.

Thalia quickly dropped the spear on the mattress and climbed off the bed. For a moment, she could only stare at her hands, the black energy dancing on her skin, demanding to be released.

" _No,"_ she growled, shaking her head to clear it. This is why she hated her father's gift. This magic was untamable and had a mind of its own that kept invading her own to feed it its destructive appetites.

"Thalia." Loki's tone was careful as he magically dressed himself and made to move toward her direction.

"Don't," she warned. "Leave." She didn't trust herself to say more words, nor to meet his gaze. The darkness that was surely reflected in her own eyes would show him all the parts of herself she'd spent so long suppressing.

The idiot didn't heed her warning, taking a testing step towards her. "Thalia, I need you to tell me what's going on."

Even in that violent red haze, Thalia was terrified of accidentally hurting him. "Please," she pleaded, "leave. I-I don't know how m-much longer I … I c-can hold it." She never managed to learn how to pull the energy back once it began to take over, so her only viable option was to release it and pray that this room could withstand the blast.

Loki considered her for a moment and seemed to take in the way her body struggled to contain the energy, limbs slightly shaking and eyes involuntarily shutting tight against the urge to give in to the dark nudging of her magic. His eyes flickered with realisation. "That seems like a hell of a lot of energy you are holding there, Thalia," he began calmly. "I'm not sure if this chamber's shield is strong enough to take it, but the mountain around it certainly isn't. Let's go outside."

She inwardly cursed when she came to the same conclusion; even if the shield stood, the tremors from the blast would cause chunks of rock around it to come tumbling down. No one else lived on this side of the mountain, though, so it wasn't like she was going to be hurting anybody. She'd take angry humans over going outside and possibly sending a beacon to Ares anyhow. Since producing enough words to explain all that seemed impossible at that moment, Thalia simply told Loki, "No. Leave."

He gave her an exasperated look. "The humans won't miss it. Who do you think they are going to be blaming for it?"

She was tempted to just let the energy loose right then. "Can't. Release. Outside," she said weakly. Her mind had begun to fuzz. The magic wasn't exactly whispering to her, not with words at least, but it still felt as if it was communicating its intention to cause distraction. The suggestion was becoming more compelling by the second. Why wouldn't he just leave?

Loki cursed. "I forgot they can track you through your magic." She saw panic vaguely flash in his eyes before being replaced by determination. "There is another way," he declared. "But I need you to hold it together for a little longer." He had voiced it more like a command than a suggestion.

Thalia let her weariness show in her expression. "D-don't know if–" That's all she managed before a spike of sudden dizziness almost made her tumble over. Her body was going overload holding onto all that magic. She steadied herself by putting a hand on the wall. She had no idea what Loki had in mind but he had to, "Hurry."

She vaguely caught the sound of the door opening and closing but her senses were beginning to give. Her eyesight became foggy, her ears ringing, breaths coming in and out hard. Having completely lost track of time, she didn't know if it was a minute or an hour before she heard the door open again, then voices seeming as if they were coming from a mile away.

Thalia realised then that she had somehow sat down by the wall, legs pulled up against her chest, just as she often did as a child when trying not to give into this part of her magic. She also realised that someone had thrown one of the bedsheets over her–likely Loki to hide her nakedness from whoever else was there. She struggled to focus her eyes and take in her surroundings. Loki was crouched by her but was looking up at his brother who stood over her, gaze focused on the energy leaking from her fingers. Loki was telling him something, then she glimpsed Thor's lips move as he replied but the ringing in her ears had gotten too loud for her to make the words. She could almost hear _the magic_ speak by that point, though. _"Let me out,"_ it seemed to say _. "Let us show them what we can do–what we've done before."_

She blinked rapidly against the sensation and, luckily, that also seemed to give back some more of her awareness. Loki was still talking with his brother but her hearing still wasn't good enough to understand them. They weren't the only ones in the room, however. Val was there too, she noticed, as well as a man she'd never seen before. He had an Asgardian look about him. Dark skin and vivid gold eyes that were jumping from Thor to Loki as they looked to argue about something. She tried to focus past the ringing in her ears.

". . . similar to my lightning. It's better if I do it," someone was saying. _Thor_ , she realised.

"D-do what?" Her voice was weak and whispery but Loki must've heard her because his head instantly turned back to her at the question, relief written all over his face.

"Oh, you understand us now. Good," it sounded like he wanted the words to be humorous but somehow couldn't pull it off. "Thor is going to absorb the energy from your body, then release it somewhere safe."

Thalia shook her head. "M-my signature will sti–"

"The energy will still carry your signature, I know. No drop of your magic is going to be released into this realm, I promise you that. But I don't trust moving you right now. You are barely holding it in as it is, I can sense it. Someone has to carry it where it needs to go for you. Thor is the best candidate for the task."

 _Where it needs to go?_ She didn't have the energy to ask what he meant. He was right, though, she would lose it any second now. Or she would pass out. Both would have the same distractive outcome and Loki was still in the room with her. Fear threatened to overwhelm her suddenly. Fear that she would hurt him like she hurt . . . No, she wouldn't go down that train of thought now.

"Give me your hand," Thor said, lowering himself to her side.

"Very d-dark magic," she felt obliged to warn when he offered his own hand.

"If an Olympian infant can hold it, so can I."

She would've rolled her eyes if the action didn't threaten to steal the little control she had left. Instead, she lifted her left hand and interlocked her fingers with those of the God in front of her.

Her first instinct when she felt him pull on her magic was to break the connection but she fought against it, giving him access to take. It only took a few seconds for Thor to absorb the energy and that was all for the better, since a moment after Thalia felt the last drop of magic leave her body, everything went black.


End file.
